A diverse underwater ecosystem built by colonies of tiny marine animals called corals, which secrete calcium carbonate to form hard, rock-like structures. These reefs support an enormous variety of marine life in warm, shallow tropical waters.
Coral comes from Latin 'corallum,' borrowed from Greek 'korallion,' possibly from a Semitic language. Reef derives from Old Norse 'rif' meaning 'ridge of rock.' The compound term emerged as Europeans explored tropical seas in the 16th-17th centuries.
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