apothecium

[ap-uh-thee-shee-uhm, -see-]

noun

Botany, Mycology.

plural

apothecia 

1. the fruit of certain lichens and fungi: usually an open, saucer-shaped or cup-shaped body, the inner surface of which is covered with a layer that bears asci.

apothecium

/ ˌæpəˈθiːsɪəl, ˌæpəˈθiːsɪəm /

noun

1. botany a cup-shaped structure that contains the asci, esp in lichens; a type of ascocarp

apothecium

plural

apothecia 

1. A disk-shaped or cup-shaped ascocarp of some lichens and the fungi Ascomycetes.

Other Word Forms

• apothecial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of apothecium¹

1820–30; < New Latin < Greek apo- apo- + thēkíon, equivalent to thḗk ( ē ) case ( theca ) + -ion diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of apothecium¹

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

Example Sentences

This is a stalked apothecium, the reproductive structure of the fungus part of the lichen.

From Scientific American

Such an ascocarp goes by the name of apothecium.

From Project Gutenberg

Piece of thallus of a Sticta, with section, showing the immersed apothecia; the small openings of these dot the surface.

From Project Gutenberg

These asci are variously shaped bodies and are known in different orders by different names, such as ascoma, apothecium, perithecium, and receptacle.

From Project Gutenberg

No species showed any great luxuriance, and seldom did the black and white lichen-crust produce any 'apothecium,' The lichen-vegetation was most abundant on the driftwood of the beach and on the tufts in the marshes.

From Project Gutenberg