[haw-stawr-ee-uh
m, -stohr-] 
[haw-stawr-ee-uh, -stohr-] . | 1. | a projection from the hypha of a fungus into the organic matter from which it absorbs nutrients. |
| 2. | the penetrating feeding organ of certain parasites. |
| haus·to·ri·um (hô-stôr'ē-əm, -stōr'-) n. pl. haus·to·ri·a (hô-stôr'ē-ə, -stōr'-) A specialized absorbing structure of a parasitic plant, such as the rootlike outgrowth of the dodder, that obtains food from a host plant. [New Latin haustōrium, from Latin haustus, a drawing in, absorption, from past participle of haurīre, to draw up.] haus·to'ri·al adj. |
| haustorium (hô-stôr'ē-əm) Pronunciation Key
Plural haustoria A specialized absorbing structure of a parasitic plant, such as the rootlike outgrowth of the dodder, that obtains food from a host plant. In parasitic fungi, haustoria are specialized hyphae that penetrate the cells of other organisms and absorb nutrients directly from them. |