lithophyton

English

Etymology

From Modern Latin lithophyton, from Ancient Greek roots λίθος (líthos, “stone”) + φυτόν (phutón, “plant”).

Noun

lithophyton (plural lithophyta)

(obsolete) Coral.
- 1646, Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, II.5:
  That Coral (which is a Lithophyton or stone-plant, and groweth at the bottom of the Sea) is soft under Water, but waxeth hard in the air […] we have some reason to doubt […]

References

“‖lithophyton” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2^nd Ed.; 1989]

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.