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apothecium - 5 dictionary results

ap⋅o⋅the⋅ci⋅um

  [ap-uh-thee-shee-uhm, -see-]
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–noun, plural -ci⋅a  [-shee-uh, -see-uh] . Botany, Mycology.
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:
1820–30; < NL < Gk apo- apo- + thēkíon, equiv. to thk(ē) case (see theca ) + -ion dim. suffix

Related forms:
ap⋅o⋅the⋅cial  [ap-uh-thee-shuhl] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ap·o·the·ci·um   (āp'ə-thē'sē-əm, -shē-)   
n.   pl. ap·o·the·ci·a (-sē-ə, -shē-ə)
A disk-shaped or cup-shaped ascocarp of some lichens and the fungi Ascomycetes.

[From Latin apothēca, storehouse; see apothecary.]
ap'o·the'cial (-shəl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Apothecium

Apo`*the"ci*um\, n.; pl. Apothecia. [NL.] (Bot.) The ascigerous fructification of lichens, forming masses of various shapes.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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apothecium   (āp'ə-thē'sē-əm, -shē-)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural apothecia (āp'ə-thē'sē-ə, -shē-)
A disk-shaped or cup-shaped ascocarp of some lichens and the fungi Ascomycetes.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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apothecium

fruiting structure of fungi of the phylum Ascomycota (kingdom Fungi). It arises from vegetative filaments (hyphae) after sexual reproduction has been initiated. The ascocarp (in forms called apothecium, cleistothecium [cleistocarp], or perithecium) contain saclike structures (asci) that usually bear four to eight ascospores. Apothecia are stalked and either disklike, saucer-shaped, or cup-shaped with exposed asci. The largest known apothecium, produced by Geopyxis cacabus, has a stalk 1 metre (40 inches) high and a cup 50 centimetres (20 inches) across. Cleistothecia are spherical and must rupture or disintegrate to release their ascospores. Perithecia are globular or flask-shaped with an apical opening for discharge of ascospores.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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