thallophyte

[ thal-uh-fahyt ]

noun
  1. any of the Thallophyta, a plant division in some older classification schemes, comprising algae, fungi, and lichens.

Origin of thallophyte

1
First recorded in 1850–55, thallophyte is from the New Latin word Thallophyta group name. See thallus, -o-, -phyte

Other words from thallophyte

  • thal·lo·phyt·ic [thal-uh-fit-ik], /ˌθæl əˈfɪt ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby thallophyte

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How to use thallophyte in a sentence

  • The vegetative body of a thallophyte is a thallus, and corresponds to stem and leaf.

    The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide | Augusta Foote Arnold

British Dictionary definitions for thallophyte

thallophyte

/ (ˈθæləˌfaɪt) /


noun
  1. obsolete any organism of the former division Thallophyta, lacking true stems, leaves, and roots: includes the algae, fungi, lichens, and bacteria, all now regarded as separate phyla

Origin of thallophyte

1
C19: from New Latin thallophyta, from Greek thallos a young shoot + phuton a plant

Derived forms of thallophyte

  • thallophytic (ˌθæləˈfɪtɪk), 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 thallophyte

thallophyte

[ thălə-fīt′ ]


  1. Any of a former group of plantlike organisms showing no differentiation into stem, root, or leaf. Thallophytes were regarded as constituting a major division of the plant kingdom and included the algae, fungi, and lichens. No longer in scientific use.

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