gorgonian

English

Etymology

From gorgon +‎ -ian.

Adjective

gorgonian (comparative more gorgonian, superlative most gorgonian)

1. Of or relating to the mythical gorgon; terrible or repulsive.
2. Of or relating to any coral of the order Alcyonacea.

Noun

gorgonian (plural gorgonians)

1. A member of the order Alcyonacea, comprising the soft corals.
   • 2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Granta Books, published 2013, page 134:

     Some gorgonians, living in shallow, sunlit waters, tend to be brightly coloured – gold, purple, red – and flex softly in the currents.

Translations

a member of the order Alcyonacea of soft corals

• Portuguese: gorgônia f (Brazil), gorgónia f (Portugal)