acaleph
n.n. a very old word for a jellyfish. You might see it in old books or scientific papers from a long time ago.
n. a member of the phylum Cnidaria, specifically a jellyfish. Archaic in modern usage; primarily found in historical biological texts or as a scientific name in older nomenclature.
The acaleph drifted through the dark waters.
In older scientific literature, the term acaleph was used to describe the various species of jellyfish found in the ocean.
While the modern classification of cnidarians has evolved significantly, the term acaleph persists in certain historical contexts to refer to the gelatinous, free-swimming forms of the group.
Borrowed from Latin acalephe, from Ancient Greek ἀκαλήφη (akalḗphē, “stinging nettle”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 19, 2026