antheridium

[ an-thuh-rid-ee-uhm ]

/ ˌæn θəˈrɪd i əm /

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noun, plural an·ther·id·i·a

[an-thuh-rid-ee-uh]. /ˌæn θəˈrɪd i ə/. Botany, Mycology.

a male reproductive structure producing gametes, occurring in ferns, mosses, fungi, and algae.

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Origin of antheridium

From New Latin, dating back to 1850–55; see origin at anther, -idium

OTHER WORDS FROM antheridium

an·ther·id·i·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use antheridium in a sentence

At the top of the axis in the male plant rise the antheridia, surrounded by an envelope of modified leaves called the perigonium.
Scientific American Supplement, Vol. XXI., No. 531, March 6, 1886|Various
These are probably the representatives of the anthers of flowering plants and of the antheridia of the ferns.
An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope|John William Griffith
De Bary and Pringsheim believe that these organs constitute the antheridia of the species of Saprolegnia to which they belong.
Fungi: Their Nature and Uses|Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
The slightly thickened membrane of the antheridia encloses protoplasm which is finely granular.
Fungi: Their Nature and Uses|Mordecai Cubitt Cooke

Immediately after the formation of the antheridia new productions show themselves, both around the oocyst and within it.
Fungi: Their Nature and Uses|Mordecai Cubitt Cooke

British Dictionary definitions for antheridium

antheridium

/ (ˌænθəˈrɪdɪəm) /

noun plural -ia (-ɪə)

the male sex organ of algae, fungi, bryophytes, and spore-bearing vascular plants, such as ferns, which produces antherozoids

Derived forms of antheridium

antheridial, adjective

Word Origin for antheridium

C19: from New Latin, diminutive of anthēra anther

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 antheridium

antheridium

[ ăn′thə-rĭd′ē-əm ]

Plural antheridia (ăn′thə-rĭd′ē-ə)

An organ in certain organisms that produces male gametes. Antheridia are found in many groups of organisms, including the bryophytes, ferns, ascomycete fungi, and some algae. Most gymnosperms and all angiosperms, however, have lost the antheridium, and its role is filled by the pollen grain. Compare archegonium.