bryozoa Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun marine or freshwater animals that form colonies of zooids
    phylum Bryozoa; polyzoa.
  2. noun sessile aquatic animal forming mossy colonies of small polyps each having a curved or circular ridge bearing tentacles; attach to stones or seaweed and reproduce by budding
    bryozoan; sea mat; sea moss; moss animal; polyzoan.

WordNet

Bry`o*zo"a noun plural
Etymology
NL., fr. Gr. moss + animal.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A class of Molluscoidea, including minute animals which by budding form compound colonies; -- called also Polyzoa. ✍ They are often coralike in form and appearance, each small cell containing an individual zooid. Other species grow in delicate, flexible, branched forms, resembling moss, whence the name. Some are found in fresh water, but most are marine. The three principal divisions are Ectoprocta, Entoprocta, and Pterobranchia. See Cyclostoma, Chilostoma, and Phylactolema.

Webster 1913