any invertebrate of the phylum Cnidaria (formerly Coelenterata), having a saclike body with a single opening (mouth), which occurs in polyp and medusa forms. Coelenterates include the hydra, jellyfishes, sea anemones, and corals
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
coe•len•ter•ate
(si len′tə rāt′, -tər it),USA pronunciation n.
adj.
- Invertebratesany invertebrate animal of the phylum Coelenterata, including the hydras, jellyfishes, sea anemones, and corals, characterized by a single internal cavity serving for digestion, excretion, and other functions and having tentacles on the oral end. Cf. cnidarian.
adj.
- Invertebratesbelonging or pertaining to the Coelenterata.
- see Coelenterata 1870–75
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'coelenterate' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
acaleph
- alcyonarian
- anthozoan
- basal disk
- cnidarian
- coel-
- coelenteron
- coral
- enteron
- epitheliomuscular
- hydra
- hydroid
- hydrozoan
- jellyfish
- medusa
- mesoglea
- moon jellyfish
- planula
- scyphozoan
- subumbrella
- zooid