endospore

[ en-duh-spawr, -spohr ]

noun
  1. Botany, Mycology. the inner coat of a spore. : Compare intine.

  2. Bacteriology. a spore formed within a cell of a rod-shaped organism.

Origin of endospore

1
First recorded in 1870–75; endo- + spore

Other words from endospore

  • en·dos·por·ous [en-dos-per-uhs, en-doh-spawr-, -spohr-], /ɛnˈdɒs pər əs, ˌɛn doʊˈspɔr-, -ˈspoʊr-/, adjective
  • en·dos·por·ous·ly, adverb

Words Nearby endospore

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

How to use endospore in a sentence

  • When the spore is coloured, the external membrane alone appears to possess colour, the endospore being constantly hyaline.

    Fungi: Their Nature and Uses | Mordecai Cubitt Cooke

British Dictionary definitions for endospore

endospore

/ (ˈɛndəʊˌspɔː) /


noun
  1. a small asexual spore produced by some bacteria and algae

  2. the innermost wall of a spore or pollen grain

Derived forms of endospore

  • endosporous (ɛnˈdɒspərəs, ˌɛndəʊˈspɔːrəs), 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 endospore

endospore

[ ĕndə-spôr′ ]


  1. A rounded, inactive form that certain bacteria assume under conditions of extreme temperature, dryness, or lack of food. The bacterium develops a waterproof cell wall that protects it from being dried out or damaged. Bacteria have been known to remain dormant but alive in the form of endospores for long periods of time, even thousands of years. Also called endosporium

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