obelia

[ oh-beel-yuh, oh-bee-lee-uh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a colonial hydroid of the genus Obelia, common in temperate seas and appearing as a delicate, mosslike growth on rocks, pilings, etc.

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1865–70; < New Latin < Greek obelías a loaf toasted on a spit, equivalent to obel ( ós ) a spit ( obelisk ) + -ias noun suffix

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Scientists have happily given these most euphonious names—Campanularia, Obelia, and Plumularia.

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