conidium

[ koh-nid-ee-uhm, kuh- ]

noun,plural co·nid·i·a [koh-nid-ee-uh, kuh-]. /koʊˈnɪd i ə, kə-/. Botany.
  1. (in fungi) an asexual spore formed by abstriction at the top of a hyphal branch.

Origin of conidium

1
1865–70; <Greek kón(is) dust (akin to incinerate) + -idium

Other words from conidium

  • co·nid·i·al, co·nid·i·an, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use conidium in a sentence

  • In autumn, flies killed by this parasite may often be found adhering to window-panes, surrounded by a halo of ejected conidia.

  • It remains solid and filled with protoplasm as far as the portion which forms the end through its conidia.

    Fungi: Their Nature and Uses | Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
  • The detached cells are the conidia of our fungus; only one is formed on each stalk.

    Fungi: Their Nature and Uses | Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
  • After the articulation of the conidia, their bearers sink together by degrees, and are quite destroyed.

    Fungi: Their Nature and Uses | Mordecai Cubitt Cooke
  • The ripe conidia are round like a ball, their surface is scarcely coloured, and almost wholly smooth.

    Fungi: Their Nature and Uses | Mordecai Cubitt Cooke

British Dictionary definitions for conidium

conidium

/ (kəʊˈnɪdɪəm) /


nounplural -nidia (-ˈnɪdɪə)
  1. an asexual spore formed at the tip of a specialized hypha (conidiophore) in fungi such as Penicillium

Origin of conidium

1
C19: from New Latin, from Greek konis dust + ium

Derived forms of conidium

  • conidial or conidian, 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 conidium

conidium

[ kə-nĭdē-əm ]


Plural conidia
  1. An asexually produced fungal spore, formed on a conidiophore. Most conidia are dispersed by the wind and can endure extremes of cold, heat, and dryness. When conditions are favorable, they germinate and grow into hyphae.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.