Etymologically
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coral

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:19. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkɒɹəl/ (UK); /ˈkɔɹəl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English coral, borrowed from Old French coral (modern corail),[2][3][4] from Latin corallium (also corallum),[2][3][5] from Ancient Greek κοράλλιον (korállion) (also kourálion),[2][3][4] perhaps of Semitic origin; compare Biblical Hebrew גּוֹרָל (gōrāl, “lot; originally a small stone for casting lots”).[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The hard skeleton secreted by certain marine polyps: about 1300 in Etymonline, before 1300 in Barnhart, about 1305 in the OED,[3][2][6] at first especially the red coral of the Mediterranean, used as an ornament.[3][6]

Semantic evolution

The red colour of coral is from the mid-15th century, as is the adjective, made of coral.[3] Other kinds were later named from their colour, as white coral.[6] A coral toy given to babies to help them teethe is from 1613.[6] Coral reef is attested from 1745, and the coral snake, named for its red bands, from 1760.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1305 – coral.[6]
  • mid-15th century – the colour coral.[3]
  • 1613 – a teething coral.[6]
  • 1745 – coral reef.[3]
  • 1760 – coral snake.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A hard stony substance formed from the skeletons of tiny sea animals, building up into reefs in warm seas.
  2. Any of the marine polyps that produce it.
  3. A pinkish-red or reddish-orange colour.

Adjective

  1. Of a deep pink to reddish-orange colour.

Word family

  • coralloid
  • corallike
  • coralliferous
  • coralline
  • corallite
  • coral fungus
  • coral plant
  • reef

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press