Dictionary entry

Porifera

Webster's Dictionary 1913

‖Po‐rif″e‐ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. porus pore + ferre to bear.] (Zoöl.) A grand division of the Invertebrata, including the sponges; — called also Spongiæ, Spongida, and Spongiozoa. The principal divisions are Calcispongiæ, Keratosa or Fibrospongiæ, and Silicea.