A genus of soft corals found in European waters, commonly called 'dead man's fingers' because of their fleshy, finger-like appearance when out of water.
Latinized genus name derived from alcyon (soft coral) with the -ium ending used in scientific nomenclature. The genus was formally established by 18th-century marine naturalists.
When alcyonium corals dry out, they really do look like creepy severed fingers—which is why fishermen gave them this morbid nickname centuries ago!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.