n. [ It. madreperla. ] Mother-of-pearl. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL. See Madrepore. ] (Zool.) A genus of reef corals abundant in tropical seas. It includes than one hundred and fifty species, most of which are elegantly branched. -- Mad`re*po"ral a. [1913 Webster]

‖n. pl. [ NL. See Madrepore. ] (Zool.) An extensive division of Anthozoa, including most of the species that produce stony corals. See Illust. of Anthozoa. -- Mad`re*po*ra"ri*an a. & n. [1913 Webster]

n. [ F. madrepore, perh. fr. madré spotted, fr. OF. madre, mazre, a kind of knotty wood with brown spots, fr. OHG. masar a knot, grain, or vein in wood, a speck, G. maser + pore (see Pore); or perh. F. madrépore is rather from It. madrepora, and this perh. fr. It. madre mother (see Mother) + Gr. &unr_; a soft stone. ] (Zool.) Any coral of the genus Madrepora, a group of corals having calcareous skeletons aggregations of which form reefs and islands; formerly, often applied to any stony coral.
Syn. -- stony coral, madriporian coral. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. (Zool.) Resembling, or pertaining to, the genus Madrepora. [ 1913 Webster ]

Madreporic plate (Zool.), a perforated plate in echinoderms, through which water is admitted to the ambulacral tubes; -- called also madreporic tubercule. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Madrepore + -form. ] (Zool.) Resembling a madreporian coral in form or structure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. madréporite ] 1. (Paleon.) A fossil coral. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) The madreporic plate of echinoderms. [ 1913 Webster ]