Having a shape or structure resembling or imitating coral; branching like coral.
From Latin 'corallium' (coral) plus the suffix '-oid' from Greek '-eidos' meaning 'resembling' or 'having the form of.' The '-oid' suffix has been in scientific use since at least the 18th century to describe similar structures in different organisms.
The '-oid' suffix is how scientists say 'fake' or 'looks like but isn't'—a coralloid structure might be made of plastic, metal, or an entirely different organism, but it visually mimics coral's branching pattern, which is useful for describing things without claiming they're the real thing.
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