madras (madras)

[F. madras; so called from Madras in India.] A large handkerchief of silk and cotton, usually in bright colors, used by the negroes in the West India islands and elsewhere for turbans, etc. - Madras gingham, a gingham imitating the colors and design of a madras. Madras lace, a kind of curtain-material, sometimes printed in colors. - Madras work, simple embroidery done upon bright-colored madras handkerchiefs, I. a. Pertaining to the Mad rep oraria, or having their characters. II. n. A coral of the group Mad rep oraria . madrepore (mad'rē-por), n. [F. madrépore = Sp. madrépor a = Pg. madrepora , madre por a , coral, appar. lit. 'mother-stone' (cf. mad reperla, 'mother-pearl, mother-of-pearl: see madre perl ), madre , mater , = E. mother , + (appar.) Gr. πῶρος , a light friable stone, a stalactite, or, as now understood, πόρος (> It. poro ), pore: see pore2 .] An animal, or a coral, of the genus Madrepora or family Madrepori dæ ; the polypite or the polypidom of a perforate mad rep orarian: a name loosely extended to any stone-coral with madre por i form cavities or openings. In true madrepore the animal or polypite is hexameral with twelve short tentacles, and the polypi IMG:content-0053.png:[blocks in formation] ous body. When the animal matter has been removed madrepore is of a white color, wrinkled on the surface, and full of little cavities, in each of which an individual polyp was lodged, the radiating septa of the cavities corresponding to the internal divisions of the animal. Madrepores raise up walls and reefs of coral rocks with rapidity in tropical climates. - Madrepore gla . See gla . --Madrepore marble, madreporitic marble. madreporic (mad-re-por'ik), a. [ madroño madre por i form (mad re-p body, madreporic tubercle, or madreporite. - Madreporic plate, in echinoderms, a madreporite. - Madreporic tubercle, a tubercular madreporic body, or madreporite. Madreporidæ (mad-rē-por'i-dē), n. pl. [NL., porida. madreporite (mad'rē-po-rīt), (mad're-po-rīt), n. and a. [ II. a. Same as madreporic . madreporitic (madre-po-rit'ik), a. [ madreporitic rocks.