anthozoan

an·tho·zo·an | \ ˌan(t)-thə-ˈzō-ən

Definition of anthozoan

: any of a class (Anthozoa) of marine cnidarians (such as the corals and sea anemones) having polyps with internal radial partitions and lacking a medusa stage

History and Etymology for anthozoan

New Latin Anthozoa, class name (from antho- antho- + -zoa -zoa) + -an entry 1

Note: The taxon Anthozoa, rendered in the vernacular as Blumenthiere, was introduced by the German zoologist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795-1876) in "Beiträge zur physiologischen Kenntniss der Corallenthiere im allgemeinen, und besonders des Rothen Meeres … gelesen in der Akademie der Wissenschaften am 3.März 1831," Physikalische Abhandlungen der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin. Aus dem Jahre 1832 (Berlin, 1834), p. 255.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about anthozoan

Dictionary Entries near anthozoan

Statistics for anthozoan

Cite this Entry

“Anthozoan.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anthozoan. Accessed 19 January 2020.