apothecium

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

/ ˌæp əˈθi ʃi əm, -si- /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

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. 2021

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.