conidium

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

/ koʊˈnɪd i əm, kə- /

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noun, plural co·nid·i·a

[koh-nid-ee-uh, kuh-]. /koʊˈnɪd i ə, kə-/. Botany.

(in fungi) an asexual spore formed by abstriction at the top of a hyphal branch.

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Origin of conidium

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. 2022

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.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
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) /

noun plural -nidia (-ˈnɪdɪə)

an asexual spore formed at the tip of a specialized hypha (conidiophore) in fungi such as Penicillium

Derived forms of conidium

conidial or conidian, adjective

Word Origin for conidium

C19: from New Latin, from Greek konis dust + 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 conidium

conidium

[ kə-nĭd′ē-əm ]

n. pl. co•nid•i•a (-ē-ə)

An asexually produced fungal spore, formed on a conidiophore.

Other words from conidium

co•nid′i•al adj.

Scientific definitions for conidium

conidium

[ kə-nĭd′ē-əm ]

Plural conidia

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.