apothecium

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

/ ˌæp əˈθi ʃi əm, -si- /

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noun, plural ap·o·the·ci·a

[ap-uh-thee-shee-uh, -see-uh]. /ˌæp əˈθi ʃi ə, -si ə/. Botany, Mycology.

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.

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Origin of apothecium

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

OTHER WORDS FROM apothecium

ap·o·the·cial

[ap-uh-thee-shuhl], /ˌæp əˈθi ʃəl/, adjective

Words nearby apothecium

apostrophize, apothecaries' measure, apothecaries' weight, apothecary, apothecary jar, apothecium, apothegm, apothem, apotheosis, apotheosize, apotropaic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use apothecium in a sentence

Nylander called the apothecium pale within, but forms with red-brown hypothecia are admitted by later writers.
Ohio Biological Survey, Bull. 10, Vol. 11, No. 6|Bruce Fink and Leafy J. Corrington
In the Helvellaceae there is no apothecium but a large irregular fruit body which at maturity bears the asci on its surface.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
The cup, or shield-shaped spot, or knob, which bears the fructification is named the Apothecium.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray
Cyclocarpineae, Apothecium usually circular, no capillitium.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 5|Various

Piece of thallus of Parmelia conspersa, with section through an apothecium.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

British Dictionary definitions for apothecium

apothecium

/ (ˌæpəˈθiːsɪəm) /

noun plural -cia (-sɪə)

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

Derived forms of apothecium

apothecial (ˌæpəˈθiːsɪəl), adjective

Word Origin for apothecium

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

Scientific definitions for apothecium

apothecium

[ ăp′ə-thē′sē-əm, -shē- ]

Plural apothecia (ăp′ə-thē′sē-ə, -shē-)

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