cnidarian
noun
cni·dar·i·an
nī-ˈder-ē-ən 
: any of a phylum (Cnidaria) of radially symmetrical, aquatic, invertebrate animals that have a hollow digestive cavity opening to the outside by a single opening surrounded by one or more nematocyst-studded whorls of tentacles, that occur as single or colonial sessile, typically columnar polyps or usually free-swimming, bell-shaped medusae, and that include the corals, sea anemones, jellyfishes, hydras, and Portuguese man-of-wars
Welcome to the world of cnidarians—a family of sea anemones, jellyfish and other marine invertebrates that kill their enemies and prey by firing poisonous, microscopic projectiles called nematocysts.—
R. Weiss
R. Weisscalled also coelenterate
cnidarian
adjective
Examples of cnidarian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
So in the new study, Tissot and her colleagues turned to the freshwater cnidarian Hydra oligactis.
—Bychristie Wilcox, science.org, 17 Sep. 2024
An arm and a leg Jellyfish are cnidarians, a phylum of soft-bodied invertebrates.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 3 Jan. 2024
Jellyfish and their relatives, collectively known as cnidarians, are considered to be the earliest living animals to develop nervous systems.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 24 Sep. 2023
What’s more, similar genes and molecules seem to control sleep in cnidarians, as compared with other animals and humans.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 16 June 2023
Is our cnidarian learning?
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 22 Mar. 2023
If these typical cnidarians strike you as a bit bizarre, the myxozoans are even further out past the borders of the familiar.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 26 Feb. 2020
In 1995, however, Mark Siddall, then at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and his colleagues argued that myxosporeans are weird members of the cnidarians, the group that includes jellyfish and corals.
—Quanta Magazine, 19 Aug. 2019
The fork leading to cnidarians represents the final turnoff before animals become bilaterally symmetric, which makes them an interesting group to study because of the greater complexity that came with that later innovation.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Jan. 2019
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Bychristie Wilcox, science.org, 17 Sep. 2024
An arm and a leg Jellyfish are cnidarians, a phylum of soft-bodied invertebrates.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 3 Jan. 2024
Jellyfish and their relatives, collectively known as cnidarians, are considered to be the earliest living animals to develop nervous systems.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 24 Sep. 2023
What’s more, similar genes and molecules seem to control sleep in cnidarians, as compared with other animals and humans.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 16 June 2023
Is our cnidarian learning?
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 22 Mar. 2023
If these typical cnidarians strike you as a bit bizarre, the myxozoans are even further out past the borders of the familiar.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 26 Feb. 2020
In 1995, however, Mark Siddall, then at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and his colleagues argued that myxosporeans are weird members of the cnidarians, the group that includes jellyfish and corals.
—Quanta Magazine, 19 Aug. 2019
The fork leading to cnidarians represents the final turnoff before animals become bilaterally symmetric, which makes them an interesting group to study because of the greater complexity that came with that later innovation.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Jan. 2019
Dictionary Entries Near cnidarian
Cite this Entry
“Cnidarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cnidarian. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share