apothecium

[ ap-uh-thee-shee-uhm, -see- ]

noun,plural ap·o·the·ci·a [ap-uh-thee-shee-uh, -see-uh]. /ˌæp əˈθi ʃi ə, -si ə/. Botany, Mycology.
  1. the fruit of certain lichens and fungi: usually an open, saucer-shaped or cup-shaped body, the inner surface of which is covered with a layer that bears asci.

Origin of apothecium

1
1820–30; <New Latin <Greek apo-apo- + thēkíon, equivalent to thḗk(ē) case (see theca) + -ion diminutive suffix

Other words from apothecium

  • ap·o·the·cial [ap-uh-thee-shuhl], /ˌæp əˈθi ʃəl/, adjective

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How to use apothecium in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for apothecium

apothecium

/ (ˌæpəˈθiːsɪəm) /


nounplural -cia (-sɪə)
  1. botany a cup-shaped structure that contains the asci, esp in lichens; a type of ascocarp

Origin of apothecium

1
C19: from New Latin, from apo- + Greek thēkion a little case

Derived forms of apothecium

  • apothecial (ˌæpəˈθiːsɪəl), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for apothecium

apothecium

[ ăp′ə-thēsē-əm, -shē- ]


Plural apothecia (ăp′ə-thēsē-ə, -shē-)
  1. A disk-shaped or cup-shaped ascocarp of some lichens and the fungi Ascomycetes.

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