What is meant by the term porifera?

Phylum: Porifera, Sponges

Porifera, which means pore bearer, is a phylum that includes the organisms known as sponges. Sponges consist of a jelly-like substance between two layers of cells and are found in freshwater and marine habitats.
Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera (meaning "pore bearer"). They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through them, consisting of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells.
The approximately 5,000 living sponge species are classified in the phylum Porifera, which is composed of three distinct groups, the Hexactinellida (glass sponges), the Demospongia, and the Calcarea (calcareous sponges). Sponges are characterised by the possession of a feeding system unique among animals.