gorgonian

adj, noun — 3 senses

gorgonian

adj

UK /ɡɔːˈɡəʊ.ni.ən/ · US /ɡɔɹˈɡoʊ.ni.ən/

Etymology From gorgon + -ian.

1

Of or relating to the mythical gorgon; terrible or repulsive.

2

Of or relating to any coral of the order Alcyonacea.

Derived terms: gorgonin

gorgonian

noun

Etymology From gorgon + -ian.

1

A member of the order Alcyonacea, comprising the soft corals.

Some gorgonians, living in shallow, sunlit waters, tend to be brightly coloured – gold, purple, red – and flex softly in the currents.2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Granta Books, published 2013, page 134:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.