cnidarian Hear it!

cnidarian definition

cni·dar·ian (ni der′ē ən)

noun

any of a phylum (Cnidaria) of invertebrate animals, mainly marine, including jellyfishes, hydrozoans, and anthozoans, characterized by stinging cells and a saclike body cavity with a single opening for ingesting food and eliminating wastes; coelenterate

Etymology: ModL Cnidaria < Gr knidē, nettle + -aria: so called for the creatures' stinging cells

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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