Adjacent Words

polyp definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a small vascular growth on the surface of a mucous membrane [syn: polyp, polypus]
2: one of two forms that coelenterates take (e.g. a hydra or coral): usually sedentary with a hollow cylindrical body usually with a ring of tentacles around the mouth; "in some species of coelenterate, polyps are a phase in the life cycle that alternates with a medusoid phase"

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: French polype octopus, nasal polyp, from Old French polipe, from Latin polypus, from Greek polypous, from poly- + pous foot — more at foot Date: 1742 1. a coelenterate (as a coral) that has typically a hollow cylindrical body closed and attached at one end and opening at the other by a central mouth surrounded by tentacles armed with nematocysts 2. a growth projecting from a mucous membrane (as of the colon or vocal cords) • polypoid adjective

Britannica Concise

Growth projecting from the wall of a cavity lined with a mucous membrane. Shape varies widely; it may have a stalk or many lobes. Polyps most often occur in the nose, urinary bladder, and digestive tract, especially in the rectum and colon. Symptoms, if any, depend on location and size; they may result from pressure or from blockage of a passage. Polyps occasionally bleed. Because a small percentage are precursors to cancers or actually contain cancers, it is advisable to have them removed and examined microscopically and to undergo routine colonoscopy after age 50. In zoology, one of two principal cnidarian body forms and, sometimes, an individual in a bryozoan colony. The cnidarian polyp body is a hollow cylindrical structure. The lower end attaches to another body or surface. The upper, or free, end is directed upward and has a mouth surrounded by extensible tentacles that bear stinging structures called nematocysts. The tentacles capture prey, which is then drawn into the mouth. The polyp may be solitary (see sea anemone) or colonial (see coral). The body wall consists of three dermal layers. The other cnidarian body form is the medusa. Growth projecting from the wall of a cavity lined with a mucous membrane. Shape varies widely; it may have a stalk or many lobes. Polyps most often occur in the nose, urinary bladder, and digestive tract, especially in the rectum and colon. Symptoms, if any, depend on location and size; they may result from pressure or from blockage of a passage. Polyps occasionally bleed. Because a small percentage are precursors to cancers or actually contain cancers, it is advisable to have them removed and examined microscopically and to undergo routine colonoscopy after age 50. In zoology, one of two principal cnidarian body forms and, sometimes, an individual in a bryozoan colony. The cnidarian polyp body is a hollow cylindrical structure. The lower end attaches to another body or surface. The upper, or free, end is directed upward and has a mouth surrounded by extensible tentacles that bear stinging structures called nematocysts. The tentacles capture prey, which is then drawn into the mouth. The polyp may be solitary (see sea anemone) or colonial (see coral). The body wall consists of three dermal layers. The other cnidarian body form is the medusa.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 Zool. an individual coelenterate. 2 Med. a small usu. benign growth protruding from a mucous membrane. Etymology: F polype (as POLYPUS)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Polyp Pol"yp, n. [L. polypus, Gr. ?, ?, literally, many-footed; poly`s many + ?, ?, foot: cf. F. polype. See Poly- and Foot, and cf. Polypode, Polypody, Poulp.] (Zo["o]l.) (a) One of the feeding or nutritive zooids of a hydroid or coral. (b) One of the Anthozoa. (c) pl. Same as Anthozoa. See Anthozoa, Madreporaria, Hydroid. [Written also polype.] Fresh-water polyp, the hydra. Polyp stem (Zo["o]l.), that portion of the stem of a siphonophore which bears the polypites, or feeding zooids.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(polyps) 1. A polyp is a small unhealthy growth on a surface inside your body, especially inside your nose. N-COUNT 2. A polyp is a small animal that lives in the sea. It has a hollow body like a tube and long parts called tentacles around its mouth. N-COUNT

Moby Thesaurus

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