hypha
[ hahy-fuh ]
/ ˈhaɪ fə /
Save This Word!
noun, plural hy·phae [hahy-fee]. /ˈhaɪ fi/.
(in a fungus) one of the threadlike elements of the mycelium.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Origin of hypha
1865–70; <New Latin <Greek hyphḗweb
OTHER WORDS FROM hypha
hyphal, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use hypha in a sentence
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, adjectiveWord 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.