jellyfish

jellyfish
Marine coelenterates (class Hydrozoa) including some poisonous species, notably Physalia, the Portuguese man-of-war; toxin is injected into the skin by nematocysts on the tentacles, causing linear wheals. SYN: jelly (2).

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jel·ly·fish 'jel-ē-.fish n a free-swimming marine coelenterate that is the sexually reproducing form of a hydrozoan or scyphozoan and has a nearly transparent saucer-shaped body and extensible marginal tentacles studded with stinging cells

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jel·ly·fish (jelґe-fish) 1. the medusa stage, a stage in the life cycle of certain invertebrates of the phylum Cnidaria, class Scyphozoa, when their bodies are transparent and umbrella-shaped and the organisms are free-swimming; the body can vary between species from a few millimeters to two meters in diameter. Genera that inflict poisonous stings include Aurelia, Carukia, Chironex, and Chiropsalmus. 2. the term is also used for certain other cnidarians that have a medusalike stage, such as members of the genera Gonionemus and Physalia.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • jellyfish — [jel′ēfish΄] n. pl. jellyfish or jellyfishes (see FISH) 1. any of various free swimming, mostly marine cnidarians (esp. class Scyphozoa) with a body made up largely of jellylike substance and shaped like an umbrella: it has long, hanging… …   English World dictionary

  • Jellyfish — Jel ly*fish , n. (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of the acalephs, esp. one of the larger species, having a jellylike appearance. See {Medusa} and {acaleph}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Jellyfish — est un groupe américain de Powerpop créé en 1990. Le groupe Andy Sturmer (batterie, chant) et Roger Manning (clavier et autres instruments) lancèrent le projet en 1990 après la rupture d avec leur précédent groupe Beatnik Beatch. Chris Manning… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • jellyfish — (n.) popular name of the medusa and similar sea creatures, 1796, from JELLY (Cf. jelly) (n.) + FISH (Cf. fish) (n.). Earlier it had been used of a type of actual fish (1707) …   Etymology dictionary

  • jellyfish — ► NOUN ▪ a free swimming marine animal with a soft bell or saucer shaped body that has stinging tentacles around the edge …   English terms dictionary

  • Jellyfish — For other uses, see Jellyfish (disambiguation). Jellyfish Temporal range: 505–0 Ma …   Wikipedia

  • jellyfish — /jel ee fish /, n., pl. (esp. collectively) jellyfish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) jellyfishes. 1. any of various marine coelenterates of a soft, gelatinous structure, esp. one with an umbrellalike body and long, trailing… …   Universalium

  • jellyfish — UK [ˈdʒelɪˌfɪʃ] / US noun [countable] Word forms jellyfish : singular jellyfish plural jellyfish a soft round sea animal that you can see through. Many types of jellyfish sting you if you touch them …   English dictionary

  • jellyfish — [[t]ʤe̱lifɪʃ[/t]] N COUNT (jellyfish is both the singular and the plural form.) A jellyfish is a sea creature that has a clear soft body and can sting you …   English dictionary

  • jellyfish — jel|ly|fish [ˈdʒelifıʃ] n plural jellyfish a sea animal that has a round transparent body and can sting you …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • jellyfish — jel|ly|fish [ dʒeli,fıʃ ] (plural jel|ly|fish) noun count a soft round ocean animal that you can see through. Many types of jellyfish sting you if you touch them …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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