hypha

[ hahy-fuh ]

/ ˈhaɪ fə /

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noun, plural hy·phae

[hahy-fee]. /ˈhaɪ fi/.

(in a fungus) one of the threadlike elements of the mycelium.

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Origin of hypha

1865–70; <New Latin <Greek hyphḗweb

OTHER WORDS FROM hypha

hyphal, adjective

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

How to use hypha in a sentence

A section through the cortex of Peltigera canina, showing its relation to the medullary hyphae.
Ohio Biological Survey, Bull. 10, Vol. 11, No. 6|Bruce Fink and Leafy J. Corrington
The interwoven hyphae fuse and branch copiously, filling up all interstices.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
Fibre-like hyphae with the lumen almost obliterated by the thick walls occur in mycelial cords (Merulius).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
The term “receptacle” sometimes applied to these spore-bearing hyphae is better replaced by sporophore.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various

They are often devoid of hyphae, or put forth fine protoplasmic filaments into the cells of their hosts.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hypha

hypha

/ (ˈhaɪfə) /

noun plural -phae (-fiː)

any of the filaments that constitute the body (mycelium) of a fungus

Derived forms of hypha

hyphal, adjective

Word Origin for hypha

C19: from New Latin, from Greek huphē web

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 hypha

hypha

[ hī′fə ]

Plural hyphae (hī′fē)

One of the long slender tubes that develop from germinated spores and form the structural parts of the body of a fungus. In many species of fungi, hyphae are divided into sections by cross walls called septa. Each section contains at least one haploid nucleus, and the septa usually have perforations that allow cytoplasm to flow through the hypha. A large mass of hyphae is known as a mycelium, which is the growing form of most fungi. From time to time, hyphae develop reproductive structures that are partitioned from the hypha by holeless septa. In many species, these structures are microscopic; in others, they are visible and large. Mushrooms and shelf fungi are visible reproductive structures of fungi.