sea pen

noun

any of several colonial coelenterates of the genus Pennatula and related genera, having the shape of a fleshy feather.

Origin of sea pen

First recorded in 1755–65

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sea pen in a sentence

The whole mass of Helipora is bright blue, and the beautiful sea-pens are both highly colored and phosphorescent.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide | Augusta Foote Arnold
Sea-pens are found at moderate depths and are widely distributed.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide | Augusta Foote Arnold
Others, like some species of sea-pens, float about in the ocean, and are usually believed to possess powers of spontaneous motion.
Principles of Geology | Charles Lyell
Perhaps this is the case in the sea pens, although these forms possess nematocysts which should serve as adequate protection.
The Nature of Animal Light | E. Newton Harvey
Sea Pens are termed locomotive zoophytes, and swim in the manner of fish.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction | Various

British Dictionary definitions for sea pen

sea pen

noun

any of various anthozoan coelenterates of the genus Pennatula and related genera, forming fleshy feather-like colonies in warm seas: order Pennatulacea

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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