amphithecium

[am-fuh-thee-shee-uh m]

noun, plural am·phi·the·ci·a [am-fuh-thee-shee-uh] /ˌæm fəˈθi ʃi ə/.

Botany. the layer or one of the layers of cells in the capsule of a moss surrounding the spores.

Mycology. (in certain lichens) a layer of cells that surrounds the fungal apothecium.

Origin of amphithecium

< New Latin < Greek amphi- amphi- + thēkíon (thḗk(ē) case, cover + -ion diminutive suffix)

Related formsam·phi·the·cial

[am-fuh-thee-shuh l, -shee-uh l, -see-uh l] /ˌæm fəˈθi ʃəl, -ʃi əl, -si əl/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for amphithecium

amphithecium

noun plural -cia (-sɪə)

the outer layer of cells of the sporophyte of mosses and liverworts that develops into the outer parts of the spore-bearing capsule

Word Origin for amphithecium

C19: from New Latin, from amphi- + Greek thēkion a little case, from thēkē case

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