polyp

noun

• 1 Zoology a solitary or colonial sedentary form of a coelenterate such as a sea anemone, typically having a columnar body with the mouth uppermost surrounded by a ring of tentacles. In some species, polyps are a phase in the life cycle which alternates with a medusoid phase. Compare with medusa.

• 2 Medicine a small growth, usually benign and with a stalk, protruding from a mucous membrane.