alcyon
alcyon — noun
1. a small marine animal with a soft, leathery outer surface that lives in colonies
a small marine animal with a soft, leathery outer surface that lives in colonies attached to rocks or the sea floor, belonging to the genus Alcyonium or related groups
Lucía collected samples of alcyons for her marine biology class in Bali.
countable noun, used with quantifier 'samples of'
The tide pool was full of alcyons, their soft bodies moving in the water.
plural form describing a group in a natural habitat
Divers near the reef spotted purple alcyons growing on an old shipwreck.
Min examined a colony of alcyons under a microscope in the lab.
One alcyon looks like a small mushroom; a group forms a soft mat on rock.
用法筆記
Often used in the plural form (alcyons) when referring to individual animals or a collection. In scientific texts, the singular refers to one specimen or to the genus as a concept.