asci

[as-ahy]

noun

plural of ascus.

ascus

[as-kuh s]

noun, plural as·ci [as-ahy, -kahy, -kee] /ˈæs aɪ, -kaɪ, -ki/. Mycology.

the sac in ascomycetes in which the sexual spores are formed.

Origin of ascus

1820–30; < New Latin < Greek askós bag, sac

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

Examples from the Web for asci

When fully mature, the asci are ruptured and the sporidia escape by a pore which occupies the apex of the perithecium.
Fungi: Their Nature and Uses|Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
They are all cup-or saucer-shaped; externally warted, scurvy or smooth; asci cylindrical, 8-spored.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise|M. E. Hard
The Ascomycetes are primarily subdivided into Exoasci and Carpoasci, groups based on the character of the asci.
Student's Hand-book of Mushrooms of America, Edible and Poisonous|Thomas Taylor
These cysts are respectively known as sporangia, and asci or thecæ.
Fungi: Their Nature and Uses|Mordecai Cubitt Cooke

The spores in this species are exceedingly minute, oblong, and not contained in asci.
An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope|John William Griffith

British Dictionary definitions for asci

asci

noun

the plural of ascus

ascus

noun plural asci (ˈæsaɪ, ˈæskaɪ)

a saclike structure that produces (usually) eight ascospores during sexual reproduction in ascomycetous fungi such as yeasts and mildews

Word Origin for ascus

C19: from New Latin, from Greek askos bag

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

Word Origin and History for asci

ascus

"sac in certain fungi," 1830, Modern Latin, from Greek askos "leather bag, wine skin," of unknown origin.

Medicine definitions for asci

ascus

[ăs′kəs]

n. pl. as•ci (ăs′ī′, -kī′)

A membranous, often club-shaped structure in which typically eight spores are formed through sexual reproduction of ascomycetes.

Science definitions for asci

ascus

[ăs′kəs]

Plural asci (ăs′ī′, -kī′)

A membranous, often club-shaped structure inside which ascospores are formed through sexual reproduction in species of the fungi known as ascomycetes. The ascus is unique to ascomycetes and distinguishes them from other kinds of fungi. Asci are formed when two hyphae that are sexually compatible conjugate. Each ascus typically develops eight ascospores. Asci swell at maturity until they burst, shooting the ascospores into the air.