gorgonian

adj

1. Of or relating to the mythical gorgon; terrible or repulsive.
2. Of or relating to any coral of the order Alcyonacea.

noun

1. A member of the order Alcyonacea, comprising the soft corals.

   “Some gorgonians, living in shallow, sunlit waters, tend to be brightly coloured – gold, purple, red – and flex softly in the currents.”