Relating to, containing, or resembling coral; especially describing certain types of hard, chalky algae.
From Latin 'corallium' (coral) plus the suffix '-ine' meaning 'of or relating to.' The '-ine' suffix comes from Latin '-inus' and became productive in English for creating adjectives. 'Coralline' dates to at least the 16th century when scientists began formally describing marine organisms.
Coralline algae fooled scientists for centuries—they look so much like tiny corals that people assumed they were animals until microscopy revealed they were actually photosynthetic plants wearing suits of mineral armor, proving that ocean life is full of brilliant disguises.
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