corail

French

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ.ʁaj/

• Audio (Paris):

  (file)

• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Agen)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Paris)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

corail m (plural coraux)

1. coral (an aquatic organism living in maritime colonies)
   • 1870, Jules Verne, Vingt Mille Lieues Sous Les Mers [Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas]‎, Paris: J. Hetzel et Compagnie, part 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 (precious material of those dwellings, harvested mainly for decorative and collectionable uses)

Derived terms

• bois de corail
• corailleur
• lentille corail
• 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.