Mountain Palm, or Umbrella Tree; a genus of plants of the order of Palmae, belonging to the monocotyledons. See Botany Index.

CORYPHÆNA, a genus of fishes belonging to the order of thoracici. See Ichthyology Index.

CORYPHÆUS, in the ancient tragedy, was the chief or leader of the company that composed the chorus: (See Chorus).—The word is formed from the Greek *κορυφή*, "tip of the head." The coryphaeus spoke for all the rest, whenever the chorus took part in the action, in quality of a person of the drama, during the course of the acts. Hence coryphaeus had passed into a general name for the chief or principal of any company, corporation, sect, opinion, &c. Thus Eustatius of Antioch is called the coryphaeus of the council of Nice; and Cicero calls Zeno the coryphaeus of the Stoics.