amphithecium

American

[am-fuh-thee-shee-uhm] / ˌæm fəˈθi ʃi əm /

noun

PLURAL

amphithecia

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.

amphithecium British

/ ˌæmfɪˈθiːsɪəm /

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

amphithecial adjective

Etymology

Origin of amphithecium

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In Sphagnum, as in Anthoceros, the archesporium is derived from the amphithecium; in all other mosses it is the outermost layer of the endothecium.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023