crinoid

noun

cri·​noid ˈkrī-ˌnȯid 

: any of a large class (Crinoidea) of echinoderms usually having a somewhat cup-shaped body with five or more feathery arms compare feather star, sea lily

crinoid adjective

Illustration of crinoid

Examples of crinoid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This squat lobster is often found on the bodies of crinoids, or feather stars, and is known to mimic the coloring and patterns of their hosts, researchers said. —Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 31 July 2025

Genevieve Formation, dating back approximately 340 to 335 million years to when Mammoth Cave was submerged in a warm, shallow sea teeming with life including crinoids and corals, according to the National Park Service. —Jon Haworth, ABC News, 24 July 2025

These aquatic, plant-like animals related to sea stars and sea urchins are formally called crinoids. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025

Both crinoids and moss animals would be common in that area at the bottom of the sea at the time. —James Doubek, NPR, 29 Jan. 2025

The same fossil bed yielded ancient sponges, crinoids, and ammonite coprolites and beaks. —Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 18 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Greek krinon lily

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

crinoid

noun

cri·​noid ˈkrī-ˌnȯid 

: any of a large class of invertebrates that are echinoderms and usually have a cup-shaped body with five or more feathery arms

crinoid adjective