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amphithecium

[am-fuh-thee-shee-uh m]
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noun, plural am·phi·the·ci·a [am-fuh-thee-shee-uh] /ˌæm fəˈθi ʃi ə/.
  1. Botany. the layer or one of the layers of cells in the capsule of a moss surrounding the spores.
  2. Mycology. (in certain lichens) a layer of cells that surrounds the fungal apothecium.
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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. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for amphithecium

amphithecium

noun plural -cia (-sɪə)
  1. the outer layer of cells of the sporophyte of mosses and liverworts that develops into the outer parts of the spore-bearing capsule
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Word Origin

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