appressorium

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

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.

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

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