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basidia

 - 8 dictionary results

ba⋅sid⋅i⋅a

  [buh-sid-ee-uh]
Use basidia in a Sentence
–noun
pl. of basidium.

ba⋅sid⋅i⋅um

  [buh-sid-ee-uhm]
–noun, plural -sid⋅i⋅a  [-sid-ee-uh] . Mycology.
a special form of sporophore, characteristic of basidiomycetous fungi, on which the sexual spores are borne, usually at the tips of slender projections.
Origin:
1855–60; bas(is) + -idium

Related forms:
ba⋅sid⋅i⋅al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To basidia
ba·sid·i·a   (bə-sĭd'ē-ə)   
n.  Plural of basidium.
ba·sid·i·um   (bə-sĭd'ē-əm)   
n.   pl. ba·sid·i·a (-ē-ə)
A small, specialized club-shaped structure typically bearing four basidiospores at the tips of minute projections. The basidium is unique to basidiomycetes and distinguishes them from other kinds of fungi.

[bas(i)- + Latin -idium, diminutive suff. (from Greek -idion).]
ba·sid'i·al 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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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ba·sid·i·um
Pronunciation: b&-'sid-E-&m
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural ba·sid·ia /-E-&/
: a structure on a basidiomycete in which nuclear fusion occurs followed by meiosis and on which usually four basidiospores are borne
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

basidium ba·sid·i·um (bə-sĭd'ē-əm)
n. pl. ba·sid·i·a (-ē-ə)
A small club-shaped structure typically bearing four spores at the tips of minute projections, unique to Basidiomycetes and used as a distinguishing characterisitic.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
basidium   (bə-sĭd'ē-əm)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural basidia
A small, specialized, club-shaped structure typically bearing four basidiospores at the tips of minute projections in the fungi known as basidiomycetes. The basidium is unique to basidiomycetes and distinguishes them from other kinds of fungi.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

basidia

in fungi (kingdom Fungi), the organ in the members of the phylum Basidiomycota (q.v.) that bears sexually reproduced bodies called basidiospores. The basidium serves as the site of karyogamy and meiosis, functions by which sex cells fuse, exchange nuclear material, and divide to reproduce basidiospores.

Learn more about basidia with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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