endothecium

[ en-doh-thee-shee-uh m, -see-uh m ]
/ ˌɛn doʊˈθi ʃi əm, -si əm /

noun, plural en·do·the·ci·a [en-doh-thee-shee-uh, -see-uh] /ˌɛn doʊˈθi ʃi ə, -si ə/. Botany.

the lining of the cavity of an anther.
(in mosses) the central mass of cells in the rudimentary capsule, from which the archespore is generally developed.
(in bryophytes) the central mass of cells in the capsule, including the spores and columella.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT 2ND-3RD GRADE VOCAB FROM BOOKS!

Are you learning new vocabulary? Or do you just have an interest in words? Either way, this quiz is for you.
Question 1 of 10
orchard
body of land completely surrounded by water
group of cultivated fruit trees
long mournful cry
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of endothecium

First recorded in 1825–35; endo- + thecium

OTHER WORDS FROM endothecium

en·do·the·ci·al [en-doh-thee-shee-uh l, -shuh l, -see-uh l] /ˌɛn doʊˈθi ʃi əl, -ʃəl, -si əl/, adjective

Words nearby endothecium

endostyle, endosulfan, endosymbiont, endosymbiosis, endotendineum, endothecium, endothelial dystrophy of cornea, endothelial myeloma, endothelioid, endothelioma, endotheliosis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for endothecium

endothecium
/ (ˌɛndəʊˈθiːʃɪəm, -sɪəm) /

noun plural -cia (-ʃɪə, -sɪə) botany

the inner mass of cells of the developing capsule in mosses
the fibrous tissue of the inner wall of an anther

Derived forms of endothecium

endothecial, adjective

Word Origin for endothecium

C19: New Latin, from endo- + Greek thēkion case; see theca
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