Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "polyp" [pol•yp]

  • A coelenterate, such as a hydra or coral, having a cylindrical body and an oral opening usually surrounded by tentacles. (noun)
  • A usually nonmalignant growth or tumor protruding from the mucous lining of an organ such as the nose, bladder, or intestine, often causing obstruction. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "polyp" in a sentence
  • "A vocal cord polyp is a small swelling in the mucous membranes covering the vocal cords."
  • "You are likewise to abstain from beans, from the preak, by some called the polyp, as also from coleworts, cabbage, and all other such like windy victuals, which may endanger the troubling of your brains and the dimming or casting a kind of mist over your animal spirits."
  • "Respect democracy and name the polyp Colbert! anon."