Siphonophore
/ˌsaɪfəˈnɔːr/noun
A free-swimming marine animal in the class Siphonophorae, made up of specialized individual organisms working together as one colony.
Did you know?The word was coined from Greek roots for “tube” and “bearer,” because these creatures were classified by the strange siphon-like structures on their bodies—not by any occult meaning, just eerie biology.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
síphōn
“tube, pipe, siphon”
Ancient Greek
Greek
phorós
“bearing, carrying”
19th Century
French
siphonophore
“name for a group of colonial marine animals”
Modern English
English
siphonophore
“a colonial marine cnidarian with specialized zooids”
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