basidium

[ buh-sid-ee-uh m ]

/ 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.

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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

During the tetrad division in the basidium nuclear reduction occurs.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
C, A basidium before the four nuclei derived from the secondary nucleus of the basidium have passed into the four basidiospores.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
There is also a further reduction in that the basidium is not derived from a teleutospore but is borne directly on the mycelium.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
They are characterized by their principal spores being produced externally, usually in fours, upon an organ called a basidium.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3|Various

When the four spores are full grown they have consumed all the protoplasm in the basidium.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise|M. E. Hard

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.

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.