PORIFERAN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does poriferan mean? 

• PORIFERAN (noun)
  The noun PORIFERAN has 1 sense:

1. primitive multicellular marine animal whose porous body is supported by a fibrous skeletal framework; usually occurs in sessile colonies

  Familiarity information: PORIFERAN used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PORIFERAN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Primitive multicellular marine animal whose porous body is supported by a fibrous skeletal framework; usually occurs in sessile colonies

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

parazoan; poriferan; sponge

Hypernyms ("poriferan" is a kind of...):

invertebrate (any animal lacking a backbone or notochord; the term is not used as a scientific classification)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "poriferan"):

glass sponge (a siliceous sponge (with glassy spicules) of the class Hyalospongiae)

Holonyms ("poriferan" is a member of...):

phylum Porifera; Porifera (coextensive with the subkingdom Parazoa: sponges)