coral
UK[ˈkɒrəl]US[ˈkɔːrəl]
n
A hard, usually pink or white substance formed from the skeletons of very small sea animals, often used in jewellery
n
A small sea animal that lives in large groups and produces a hard substance to form a skeleton
n
A pinkish-orange colour
Etymology
The word 'coral' has a long and winding journey into English, passing through several languages as a complete lexical unit. It originates from the ancient Greek 'korallion', which was borrowed into Latin as 'corallium', referring to the precious red coral of the Mediterranean. The Old French form 'coral' was adopted into Middle English, retaining the core meaning of the hard, calcareous skeleton of marine polyps. While its ultimate roots are obscure and may trace back to a Semitic source like Hebrew 'goral' (pebble), the word's form and meaning have remained remarkably stable, evolving from a term for a specific precious material to also name the animal that creates it and the distinctive colour it exhibits.
Analysis
The word 'coral' is a simplex loanword. It entered English as a single, unanalyzable unit from Old French, which derived it from Latin 'corallium', itself from Greek 'korallion'. The ultimate origin is uncertain but may be Semitic.
Examples
The necklace was made of beautifully polished red coral.
Divers are careful not to damage the fragile coral reef.
She painted the walls a warm shade of coral.