sea lily

noun

: crinoid

especially : a stalked crinoid

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Two cling gobies spend their entire lives among the tentacles of a sea lily, a close relative of sea stars that extends its tentacles to capture plankton in the water. —

Enric Sala, Discover Magazine, 22 Sep. 2015 The work is a meditative visual poem about the passage of time set against a stone wall carved with sea lily fossils. —

Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sea lily.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of sea lily was in 1851

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sea lily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sea%20lily. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.

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Kids Definition

sea lily

noun

: crinoid

especially : a crinoid that has a stalk

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