Dictionary.com

basidium

[ buh-sid-ee-uhm ]
/ bəˈsɪd i əm /

noun, plural ba·sid·i·a [buh-sid-ee-uh]. /bəˈsɪd i ə/. Mycology.

a special form of sporophore, characteristic of basidiomycetous fungi, on which the sexual spores are borne, usually at the tips of slender projections.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of basidium

First recorded in 1855–60; bas(is) + -idium

OTHER WORDS FROM basidium

ba·sid·i·al, adjective

Words nearby basidium

basidiomycete, Basidiomycetes, basidiomycetous, basidiomycota, basidiospore, basidium, Basie, Basie, Count, basifacial, basifacial axis, basifixed
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for basidium

British Dictionary definitions for basidium

basidium
/ (bæˈsɪdɪəm) /

noun plural -ia (-ɪə)

the structure, produced by basidiomycetous fungi after sexual reproduction, in which spores are formed at the tips of projecting slender stalks

Derived forms of basidium

basidial, adjective

Word Origin for basidium

C19: from New Latin, from Greek basidion; see basis, -ium
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

Medical definitions for basidium

basidium
[ bə-sĭd′ē-əm ]

n. pl. ba•sid•i•a (-ē-ə)

A small club-shaped structure that typically bears four spores at the tips of minute projections, is unique to Basidiomycetes, and is used as a distinguishing characteristic.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for basidium

basidium
[ bə-sĭd′ē-əm ]

Plural basidia

A small, specialized, club-shaped structure typically bearing four basidiospores at the tips of minute projections in the fungi known as basidiomycetes. The basidium is unique to basidiomycetes and distinguishes them from other kinds of fungi.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.