jellyfish
Definition
Noun: 1. A soft, gelatinous marine animal, typically free-swimming, with a bell-shaped or umbrella-shaped body and trailing tentacles that often bear stinging cells. Jellyfish are coelenterates (cnidarians) and represent the medusa life stage of certain species. 2. (Informal) A person perceived as weak, indecisive, or lacking in resilience or backbone.
Usage and Examples
Noun (Marine Animal):
- We saw a beautiful but dangerous jellyfish floating near the shore.
- The sting from a box jellyfish can be extremely painful and even fatal.
- The aquarium has a special exhibit featuring bioluminescent jellyfish.
Noun (Informal, for a person):
- Don't be such a jellyfish; you need to stand up for yourself!
- He was called a political jellyfish for refusing to take a firm stance on the issue.
Advanced Usage and Notes
- The term "jellyfish" is scientifically imprecise, as it encompasses animals from two different classes within the phylum Cnidaria: Scyphozoa (true jellyfish) and Hydrozoa (which includes many hydromedusae). Some large siphonophores (like the Portuguese man o' war) are also commonly called jellyfish, though they are colonial organisms.
- The informal, derogatory use comparing a person to a jellyfish relies on the animal's soft, boneless, and drifting nature as a metaphor for weakness.
Variants and Related Words
- Medusa (n): The scientific term for the free-swimming, often umbrella-shaped life stage of a cnidarian, which is what is commonly called a jellyfish.
- Cnidarian (n): The phylum name for the group of animals that includes jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones.
- Nematocyst (n): The microscopic stinging cell found in the tentacles of jellyfish and other cnidarians.
- Bloom (n): A large, often dense aggregation of jellyfish, as in "a jellyfish bloom."
Synonyms
- (For the marine animal): Medusa, sea jelly (modern preferred term in some aquariums).
- (For a weak person): Weakling, pushover, milquetoast, coward.
Related Phrases and Collocations
- Jellyfish sting: The injury caused by contact with a jellyfish's tentacles.
- She put vinegar on the jellyfish sting.
- Jellyfish bloom / swarm: A large, localized population of jellyfish.
- A jellyfish bloom forced the beach to close.
Noun
-
any of numerous usually marine and free-swimming coelenterates that constitute the sexually reproductive forms of hydrozoans and scyphozoans
-
large siphonophore having a bladderlike float and stinging tentacles
Khám phá thêm
Các từ liên quan
Từ đồng nghĩa
Từ gần giống
Từ có nhắc đến "jellyfish"
