ascomycete

[ as-kuh-mahy-seet, -mahy-seet ]

/ ˌæs kəˈmaɪ sit, -maɪˈsit /

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).

Nearby words

Origin of ascomycete

From New Latin, dating back to 1855–60; see origin at asco-, -mycete

Also called sac fungus.

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

Examples from the Web for ascomycete

The term sporidia he limits to spores produced or enclosed in an ascus, as in the Ascomycete.
Student's Hand-book of Mushrooms of America, Edible and Poisonous|Thomas Taylor

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 Formsascomycetous, 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

Medicine definitions for ascomycete

ascomycete

[ ăs′kō-mī′sēt′, -mī-sēt′ ]

n.

A member of the class Ascomycetes.

Science definitions for ascomycete

ascomycete

[ ăs′kō-mī′sēt′ ]

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.