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ascomycete

[ as-kuh-mahy-seet, -mahy-seet ]
/ ˌæs kəˈmaɪ sit, -maɪˈsit /
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noun Mycology.
any fungus of the phylum Ascomycota (or class Ascomycetes), including the molds and truffles, characterized by bearing the sexual spores in a sac (as distinguished from basidiomycete).
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Also called sac fungus.

Origin of ascomycete

From New Latin, dating back to 1855–60; see origin at asco-, -mycete
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ascomycete in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ascomycete

ascomycete
/ (ˌæskəmaɪˈsiːt) /

noun
any fungus of the phylum Ascomycota (formerly class Ascomycetes) in which the spores (ascospores) are formed inside a club-shaped cell (ascus). The group includes yeast, penicillium, aspergillus, truffles, and certain mildews

Derived forms of ascomycete

ascomycetous, adjective
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 ascomycete

ascomycete
[ ăs′kō-mīsēt′ ]

Any of various fungi belonging to the phylum Ascomycota, characterized by the presence of sexually produced spores formed within an ascus. Like most fungi, ascomycetes also reproduce asexually by the formation of nonsexual spores called conidia at the ends of filaments known as hyphae. Yeasts, many molds that cause food spoilage, and the edible fungi known as morels and truffles, are ascomycetes. A number of serious plant diseases, including ergot, the powdery mildews that attack fruit, and Dutch elm disease, are also caused by ascomycetes.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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