appressorium

[ ap-re-sawr-ee-uh m, -sohr- ]

/ ˌæp rɛˈsɔr i əm, -ˈsoʊr- /

noun, plural ap·pres·so·ri·a [ap-re-sawr-ee-uh, -sohr-] /ˌæp rɛˈsɔr i ə, -ˈsoʊr-/. Mycology.

a flattened and thickened tip of a hyphal branch, formed by some parasitic fungi, that facilitates penetration of the host plant.

Nearby words

apprehensible, apprehension, apprehensive, apprentice, appressed, appressorium, apprise, apprize, appro, approach, approach light

Origin of appressorium

1895–1900; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin appress(us) (see appressed) + -ōrium (see -tory²)

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

British Dictionary definitions for appressorium

appressorium

/ (ˌæprɛˈsɔːrɪəm) /

noun plural -ria (-rɪə)

botany a flattened hypha of a parasitic fungus that penetrates the host tissues

Word Origin for appressorium

from New Latin, from Latin appressus; see appressed

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