antheridium

[ an-thuh-rid-ee-uh m ]

/ ˌæn θəˈrɪd i əm /

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.

Nearby words

anthema, anthemion, anthemius of tralles, anther, antheridiophore, antheridium, antherozoid, anthesis, anthesteria, anthill, antho-

Origin of antheridium

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

Related forms

an·ther·id·i·al, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for antheridium

The index reference for "Antheridium" should probably be 159, rather than 150, but was not changed.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray
The prothallus is exceedingly small, being little more than a group of cells forming an antheridium.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
One of the minute organs developed in an antheridium, corresponding to pollen-grains.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray
These cells, especially the outer ones, develop a great amount of a red pigment, giving the antheridium its characteristic color.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany|Douglas Houghton Campbell

It is remarkable that amongst these fungi the tube projected by the antheridium effects fecundation only by contact.
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

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

Science 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.