■ noun
1》 a hard stony substance secreted by certain colonial marine animals as an external skeleton, typically forming large reefs.
↘precious red ~, used in jewellery.
2》 the pinkish-red colour of red ~.
3》 an anthozoan of a large group including those that form ~ reefs, secreting a calcareous, horny, or soft skeleton. [Orders Scleractinia or Madreporaria (the reef-forming stony ~s ), Alcyonacea ( soft ~s ), and Gorgonacea ( horny ~s ).]
4》 the edible unfertilized roe of a lobster or scallop, reddening when cooked.
Derivatives
~loid adjective ( chiefly Biology & Zoology ).
Origin
ME: via OFr. from L. ~lum , from Gk korallion , kouralion .