Definition of "gorgonian" []

• Any of various corals of the order Gorgonacea, having a flexible, often branching skeleton of horny material. (noun)
• Of or belonging to the order Gorgonacea. (adjective)

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.

• "Reef gardens are embellished with scarlet and orange staircase sponges and feathery gorgonian fans with their bright yellow branches."
• "The red gorgonian, Paragorgia arborea, occurs on these reefs."
• "French Angelfish (Pomacanthus paru) forage in a similar manner, but they consume less gorgonian polyps and algae."