noun

• 1Zoology
  A solitary or colonial sedentary form of a coelenterate such as a sea anemone, typically having a columnar body with the mouth uppermost surrounded by a ring of tentacles. In some species, polyps are a phase in the life cycle which alternates with a medusoid phase.

  Compare with medusa

  ‘A few, such as Hydra, are solitary polyps that lack a medusoid stage.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Most hydrozoans alternate between a polyp and a medusa stage - they spend part of their lives as ‘jellyfish’ which are hard to distinguish from scyphozoan jellyfish.’
  • ‘Instead, many used a scenario approach to conclude that solitary sessile polyps represent the ancestral cnidarian form.’
  • ‘Do polyps of other cnidarian species have a tissue dynamics similar to that of hydra?’
  • ‘Finally solitary polyps or medusae may clone to produce more of their kind.’

• 2Medicine
  A small growth, usually benign and with a stalk, protruding from a mucous membrane.

  ‘The laser can also provide relief for symptoms caused by benign airway tumors such as hamartomas, papillomas, polyps, and angiomas.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘What's more, most tumors start out as polyps, or benign growths, in the colon.’
  • ‘Screening for and removal of colorectal cancer and precancerous adenomatous polyps can decrease the incidence of colon disease.’
  • ‘Growths such as polyps or fibroids can often be removed and endometriosis can often be treated with medications or surgery.’
  • ‘Colonoscopy revealed diverticulitis and several benign polyps, which were excised.’

  Synonyms

  tumour, cancerous growth, malignant growth, malignancy, cancer