madreporian

mad·re·pore

 (măd′rə-pôr′)

n.

Any of various hard corals of the genus Madrepora or of the order Scleractinia (formerly Madreporaria).

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[Italian madrepora : madre, mother (from Latin māter, mātr-; see māter- in Indo-European roots) + -pora (alteration of poro, tufa, pore, from Late Latin porus, passageway; see pore², or from Latin pōrus, calcareous stone, stalactite, from Greek pōros).]

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mad′re·po′ri·an adj.

mad′re·por′ic adj.