Meanings
plural cnidarians
- biologyAny of various invertebrate animals, such as jellyfish, hydras, sea anemones, corals and formerly sponges and ctenophores that belong to the phylum Cnidaria.First known use 19th c.
A general feature of cnidarians, as I noted above, is their stinging cells.
2016, Peter Godfrey-Smith, Other Minds, William Collins, published 2018, page 35
comparative more cnidarian · superlative most cnidarian
- Of or relating to a cnidarian.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounradially symmetrical animals having saclike bodies with only one opening and tentacles with stinging structures; they occur in polyp and medusa forms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekκνῑ́δη
- New LatinCnīdāria
- Englishcnidarian
From translingual Cnidaria + -an, derived from New Latin Cnīdāria, derived from Ancient Greek κνῑ́δη (knī́dē, “sea nettle”).
More words from New Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian книдарий, мешесто
- книдарий (knidarij)any of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
- мешесто (mešesto)any of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Catalan cnidari
- cnidariany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Chinese Mandarin 刺胞動物 /刺胞动物, 刺絲胞動物 /刺丝胞动物
- 刺胞動物 /刺胞动物 (cìbāo dòngwù)any of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
- 刺絲胞動物 /刺丝胞动物 (cìsībāo dòngwù)any of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Czech žahavec
- žahavecany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Finnish polttiaiseläin
- polttiaiseläinany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
French cnidaire
- cnidaireany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
German Nesseltier
- Nesseltierany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Hindi शूलप्राणी
- शूलप्राणी (śūlaprāṇī)any of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Hungarian csalánozó
- csalánozóany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Italian cnidario
- cnidarioany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Korean 자포동물
- 자포동물 (japodongmul)any of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Norwegian nesledyr
- nesledyrany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Polish parzydełkowiec
- parzydełkowiecany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Portuguese cnidário
- cnidárioany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Russian книда́рий, стрека́ющее
- книда́рий (knidárij)any of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
- стрека́ющее (strekájuščeje)any of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Spanish cnidario
- cnidarioany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Swedish nässeldjur
- nässeldjurany of various invertebrate animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cnidarian
Cite this entry
cnidarian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cnidarian
“cnidarian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cnidarian. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cnidarian,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cnidarian.
Source: cnidarian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.