coral

coral — noun

1. a hard, stony material that builds up in warm, shallow seas from the skeletons o

1.nounB1
Definition

a hard, stony material that builds up in warm, shallow seas from the skeletons of tiny marine creatures, often forming large underwater structures known as reefs.

Example

The diving team explored a beautiful coral reef off the coast of Belize last summer.

collocation: coral reef

Coral grows extremely slowly, sometimes just a few centimetres each year.

uncountable use referring to the material in general

Usage Note

When referring to the material in general, coral is usually uncountable: 'Coral is fragile.' It becomes countable when talking about specific types or colonies: 'the corals of the Pacific.'

2. a pinkish-orange hue that mixes the warmth of orange with the softness of pink.

2.nounB1
Definition

a pinkish-orange hue that mixes the warmth of orange with the softness of pink.

Example

Gabriela painted her kitchen walls a soft coral that felt warm and bright.

colour used as a noun with 'a soft coral'

Coral was the most popular colour for summer dresses at the beach party.

uncountable use: 'Coral was the most popular colour'

Synonyms
  • salmon

    a lighter pinkish-orange, closer to pink than coral

  • peach

    a softer, yellower pinkish-orange than coral

coral — adjective

Word family

  • coralline
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Coral, reef, seaweed, and shell are all things found in the sea, but they differ in what they are and how they form. Coral is a living hard material built by tiny animals called polyps. A reef is a large underwater structure, often made of coral but also of rock or sand. Seaweed is a plant, not an animal product. A shell is the hard outer covering of a sea creature like a clam or snail and is not alive while growing. For example: 'The coral formed a colorful reef.' 'Seaweed grew on the rocks near the shore.' 'She collected shells on the beach.'

reef ↗seaweed ↗shell ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • coral reef
  • coral island
  • coral jewellery
  • coral necklace
  • coral bleaching

Phrases

  • made of coral
  • coral-coloured

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word coral comes from the Old French 'coral', which came from Latin 'corallium', borrowed from Ancient Greek 'korallion'. It has been used in English to describe the marine material since the 1300s, and later extended to describe the pinkish-orange colour in the 1700s.