coral

English Online Dictionary. What means coral‎? What does coral mean?

English

Etymology

From Old French coral (French corail), from Latin corallium, from Ancient Greek κοράλλιον (korállion, “coral”). Probably ultimately of Semitic origin, compare Hebrew גּוֹרָל (goral, “small pebble”), Arabic جَرَل (jaral, “small stone”), originally referring to the red variety found in the Mediterranean. Since ancient times, a common folk etymology, accepted by some earlier scholars, connected the word instead to Ancient Greek κόρη (kórē) (referring to Medusa). Beekes mentions both theories and considers the Semitic one convincing.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒɹəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔɚɹəl/
  • Homophone: choral
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔɹəl/
• Rhymes: -ɒɹəl, -ɔːɹəl

Noun

coral (countable and uncountable, plural corals)

1. (countable) Any of many species of marine invertebrates in the class Anthozoa, most of which build hard calcium carbonate skeletons and form colonies, or a colony belonging to one of those species.
2. (uncountable) A hard substance made of the skeletons of these organisms.
3. (countable) A somewhat yellowish orange-pink color; the color of red coral (Corallium rubrum) of the Mediterranean Sea, commonly used as an ornament or gem.
4. The ovaries of a cooked lobster; so called from their color.
5. (historical) A piece of coral, usually fitted with small bells and other appurtenances, used by children as a plaything.

Translations

Adjective

coral (not comparable)

1. Made of coral.
2. Having the orange-pink color of coral.

Translations

Derived terms

See also

References

• coral on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• claro, Carol, Clora, Carlo, Alcor, Claro, carol

Asturian

Etymology 1

From Old Leonese cor, from a derivative of Latin cor with a group suffix -al. Doublet of corazu, corazón, and cuer.

Noun

coral f (plural corales) or corales

1. heart

   Synonyms: corazu, corazón, cuer

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish coral.

Noun

coral f (plural corales)

1. chorus music
2. chorale

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Spanish coral.

Noun

coral m (plural corales)

1. coral

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kuˈɾal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [koˈɾal]

Etymology 1

From cor (“heart”) +‎ -al.

Adjective

coral m or f (masculine and feminine plural corals)

1. strong, close (relationship)

Etymology 2

From cor (“choir”) +‎ -al.

Adjective

coral m or f (masculine and feminine plural corals)

1. choral

Noun

coral m (plural corals)

1. chorus music
2. chorale

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Latin corallium, from Ancient Greek κοράλλιον (korállion).

Noun

coral m (plural corals)

1. coral (organism)

Derived terms

• arbre de coral

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koˈɾal/

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese coral, borrowed from Old French coral, from Latin corallium, from Ancient Greek κοράλλιον (korállion).

Noun

coral m (plural corais)

1. (zoology) coral
2. coral (color)
3. roe (the eggs or ovaries of certain crustaceans)

   Synonym: míllaras

4. sea fan (Eunicella verrucosa)

Etymology 2

coro (“choir”) +‎ -al.

Adjective

coral m or f (plural corais)

1. choral

Noun

coral f (plural corais)

1. chorale

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “coral”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “coral”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “coral”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “coral”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “coral”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Old Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French coral, from Latin corallium, from Ancient Greek κοράλλιον (korállion).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koˈɾal/

Noun

coral m (plural corales)

1. coral

Descendants

• Ladino: koral
• Spanish: coral

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: co‧ral

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin chorālis. By surface analysis, coro +‎ -al.

Alternative forms

• choral (obsolete)

Noun

coral m (plural corais)

1. (music) choir (ensemble of people who sing together)

   Synonym: coro

2. (music) choral song (song written for a choir to perform)
3. (music) chorale (a Lutheran hymn)
4. (figurative) a group of people, creatures or objects making noise together

Adjective

coral m or f (plural corais)

1. (music) choral (relating to choirs)
2. (music) choral (written to be performed by a choir)

Etymology 2

From Late Latin corallum or Latin corallium, from Ancient Greek κοράλλιον (korállion, “coral”), of uncertain origin.

Noun

coral m (plural corais)

1. coral (any of various species of anthozoans)
2. coral (the skeleton of marine polyps)
3. coral (colony of marine polyps)
4. coral (a yellowish pink color)

Noun

coral f (plural corais)

1. Ellipsis of cobra-coral.

Adjective

coral m or f (plural corais)

1. coral in color

   Synonym: coralino

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French choral.

Adjective

coral m or n (feminine singular corală, masculine plural corali, feminine and neuter plural corale)

1. choral

Declension

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koˈɾal/ [koˈɾal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: co‧ral

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Spanish coral, from Old French coral, from Latin corallium, from Ancient Greek κοράλλιον (korállion).

Noun

coral m (plural corales)

1. (zoology) coral
2. (botany) coral vine (Kennedia coccinea)

Derived terms

Adjective

coral m or f (masculine and feminine plural corales)

1. coral (color)

Etymology 2

From coro (“choir”) +‎ -al.

Adjective

coral m or f (masculine and feminine plural corales)

1. choral

Derived terms

Noun

coral m (plural corales)

1. chorale

Further reading

• “coral”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28