1. of, relating to, or belonging to the order Alcyonacea of soft corals and sea pens
Usage: zoology; technical

1. a coral or sea organism of the order Alcyonacea, typically having eight tentacles and lacking a hard skeleton
Usage: zoology; technical

Examples

• The alcyonarian colonies formed delicate, branching structures on the ocean floor.
• Marine biologists studied the alcyonarian species found in deep-sea environments.
• Unlike stony corals, alcyonarians lack a rigid calcium carbonate skeleton.
• The alcyonarian's eight-armed polyps extended to filter feed from the water column.
• Alcyonarians are important members of coral reef ecosystems worldwide.