Coral is a hard substance formed from the bones of very small sea animals. It is often used to make jewellery.
The women have elaborate necklaces of turquoise and pink coral.
2. countable noun
Corals are very small sea animals.
3. colour
Something that is coral is dark orangey-pink in colour.
...coral lipstick.
...the coral-coloured flower buds.
coral in British English
(ˈkɒrəl)
noun
1.
any marine mostly colonial coelenterate of the class Anthozoa having a calcareous, horny, or soft skeleton
See also stony coral, sea fan
2.
a.
the calcareous or horny material forming the skeleton of certain of these animals
b.
(as modifier)
a coral reef
See also red coral
3.
a.
a rocklike aggregation of certain of these animals or their skeletons, forming an island or reef
b.
(as modifier)
a coral island
4.
a.
an object made of coral, esp a piece of jewellery
b.
(as modifier)
a coral necklace
5.
a.
a deep-pink to yellowish-pink colour
b.
(as adjective)
coral lipstick
6.
the roe of a lobster or crab, which becomes pink when cooked
Word origin
C14: from Old French, from Latin corāllium, from Greek korallion, probably of Semitic origin
coral in American English
(ˈkɔrəl; ˈkɑrəl)
noun
1.
the hard, stony skeleton secreted by certain marine polyps (class Anthozoa) and often deposited in extensive masses forming reefs and atolls in tropical seas
2.
any such polyp (esp. order Scleractinia) living singly or in large colonies
3.
a piece of coral, esp. the red kind used in jewelry
4.
the mature ovaries of the lobster
5.
a yellowish red or yellowish pink
: also called coral red, coral pink
adjective
6.
made of coral
7.
coral-red or coral-pink
Word origin
OFr < L coralium < Gr korallion < ? Heb gōrál, pebble or Ar garal, small stone
And you can wake up and snorkel around colourful coral reefs two minutes from your bed.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Choose from coral, fuchsia pink and red to banish the winter blues.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The ocean temperature was above normal in most areas, prompting mass bleaching of many coral reefs.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If your skin tans easily, the likelihood is that a coral colour will suit you so just experiment until you find a good match.
The Sun (2016)
Still, no amount of selfie sticks could spoil my enjoyment of jumping off the back of a boat into coral reefs for a quick snorkel before lunch.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Spring is all about fresh pink and coral cheek colour.
The Sun (2013)
The intense colour of the coral is breathtaking.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
You are not meant to disturb or touch the fish or coral.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Tourists have also been blamed for damaging its coral reefs and marine fauna.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Plus it looks terrific with pink and coral accessories.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The space programme had finished and images of fish and coral now filled the screen.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
So too are the coral islands.
Radford, Tim & Leggett, Jeremy The Crisis of Life on Earth - our legacy from the second millenium (1990)
In the meantime it has some stonking reductions on its iconic coral, turquoise and amber pieces.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Marine life is spectacular, with coral gardens and snorkelling straight off the beach.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Barrier Reef suffered the worst coral bleaching on record.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
They are the colour of mountain lakes, or coral seas.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The liquid should be thick, with a bright orange coral colour.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It is the only coral island in the eastern Caribbean.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
An otherworldly beach made entirely of twisted, bleached white coral pieces.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The gasps told it all - turquoise sea and coral reefs as far as the eye could see.
The Sun (2010)
Ten tourists and five crew members remain missing after their boat hit a coral reef during stormy seas on Friday night.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Coral make them joint 13-8 favourites.
The Sun (2010)
It is a big sweep of soft, pale coral sand shelving gently into the Ionian sea.
The Sun (2015)
The dive site on the final day was a stunning coral garden known to divers as Dolphin House.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I have been scuba diving for more than 40 years and have witnessed the almost total destruction of the hard coral on the planet.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The tennis club, perhaps, a flash of coral lipstick being a distinct advantage when seeking the attentions of the instructor.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Word lists with
coral
Types of invertebrate, Seas
In other languages
coral
British English: coral /ˈkɒrəl/ NOUN
Coral is a hard substance formed from the skeletons of very small sea animals.
...necklaces of pink coral.
American English: coral
Arabic: مَرْجَان
Brazilian Portuguese: coral do mar
Chinese: 珊瑚
Croatian: koralj
Czech: korál mořský
Danish: koral
Dutch: koraal
European Spanish: coral
Finnish: koralli
French: corail
German: Koralle
Greek: κοράλι
Italian: corallo
Japanese: 珊瑚
Korean: 산호
Norwegian: korall
Polish: koral
European Portuguese: coral do mar
Romanian: coral
Russian: коралл
Latin American Spanish: coral
Swedish: korall
Thai: หินปะการัง
Turkish: mercan
Ukrainian: корал
Vietnamese: san hô
All related terms of 'coral'
Coral Sea
the SW arm of the Pacific , between Australia , New Guinea , and Vanuatu
cup coral
any of several species of coral in which the polyp forms and houses itself in a cup-shaped depression in the skeleton
red coral
any of several corals of the genus Corallium , the skeletons of which are pinkish-red in colour and used to make ornaments , etc
brain coral
a stony coral of the genus Meandrina , in which the polyps lie in troughlike thecae resembling the convoluted surface of a human brain
Cape Coral
city in SW Fla.: pop. 102,000
coral bells
a perennial , ornamental alumroot ( Heuchera sanguinea ) native to SW North America, with racemes of drooping pink or white flowers
coral fern
a scrambling fern of the genus Gleichenia, having repeatedly forked fronds
coral plant
a South American tree, Jatropha multifida , of the spurge family, having showy , scarlet flowers
coral reef
A coral reef is a long narrow mass of coral and other substances, the top of which is usually just above or just below the surface of the sea.
coral snake
any venomous elapid snake of the genus Micrurus and related genera, of tropical and subtropical America , marked with red, black, yellow , and white transverse bands
coral tree
any of various thorny , tropical trees of the leguminous genus Erythrina , having bright red flowers and reddish shiny seeds
coral trout
an Australian fish, Plectropomus maculatus , of the Great Barrier Reef which is an important food fish
seed coral
small pieces of coral used in jewellery , etc
stony coral
any coral of the order Madreporaria, having a calcareous skeleton , aggregations of which form reefs and islands
Coral Springs
city in SE Fla.: pop. 118,000
precious coral
any of several corals of the genus Corallium , the skeletons of which are pinkish-red in colour and used to make ornaments , etc
staghorn coral
any stony coral (esp. Madrepore cervicornis ) having a structure that somewhat resembles the antlers of a stag
kaffirboom
any of various thorny , tropical trees of the leguminous genus Erythrina , having bright red flowers and reddish shiny seeds
bats-wing coral-tree
a small tree, Erythrina verspertilio , of tropical and subtropical Australia with red flowers and leaves shaped like the wings of a bat
trumpet honeysuckle
a North American honeysuckle shrub , Lonicera sempervirens , having orange , scarlet , or yellow trumpet-shaped flowers