bryozoan

noun

bryo·​zo·​an ˌbrī-ə-ˈzō-ən How to pronounce bryozoan (audio)
: any of a phylum (Bryozoa) of aquatic mostly marine invertebrate animals that reproduce by budding and usually form permanently attached branched or mossy colonies
bryozoan adjective

Examples of bryozoan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Similar chitinous bristles can be found in some more obscure groups of animals including brachiopods and bryozoans. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 Aug. 2024 In a study published in April 2023 in Nature Ecology & Evolution, a team of interdisciplinary scientists fished 105 pieces of plastic from the patch and found barnacles and bryozoans stuck to items like toothbrushes, clothes hangers and shampoo bottles. — Tim Brinkhof, Discover Magazine, 25 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Bryozoa, phylum name (from bryo- bryo- + -zoa -zoa) + -an entry 1

Note: The taxon Bryozoa was introduced by the German naturalist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795-1876) in Symbolae physicae, Animalia evertebrata exclusis insectis, Series prima (Berlin, 1831).

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bryozoan was in 1851

Rhymes for bryozoan

See All Rhymes for bryozoan

Browse Nearby Words

bryozoan
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bryozoan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bryozoan. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on bryozoan

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bryozoan

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All