corail

French

Etymology

From Latin corallium (“coral”), from Ancient Greek κοράλλιον (korállion, “coral”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ.ʁaj/

• Audio (Paris):

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• Audio:

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Noun

corail m (plural coraux)

1. corals, an aquatic organism living in maritime colonies
   • 1874, Jules Verne, Vingt mille lieues sous les mers, sourced from [1]:

     C’est à ce dernier qu’appartient le corail, curieuse substance qui fut tour à tour classée dans les règnes minéral, végétal et animal.

     It's in this last that precious coral belongs, an unusual substance that, at different times, has been classified in the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms.

2. coral, the precious material of those dwellings, harvested mainly for decorative and collectionable uses

Derived terms

• bois de corail
• corailleur
• serpent corail

 

Related terms

• coralliaire
• corallien
• corallifère
• coralliforme
• coralligène
• corallin

 

References

• Nouveau Petit Larousse illustré. Dictionnaire encyclopédique. Paris, Librairie Larousse, 1952, 146th edition

Further reading

• “corail”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.