hypha

[hahy-fuh]

noun, plural hy·phae [hahy-fee] /ˈhaɪ fi/.

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

Origin of hypha

1865–70; < New Latin < Greek hyphḗ web

Related formshy·phal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hyphae

Historical Examples of hyphae

The hyphae have broken through in the upper face and are forming a cluster of spores.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6
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
The segments of the hyphae in this group usually contain several nuclei.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3
Various
D, The same, beginning to be surrounded by the hyphae forming the perithecium wall.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3
Various
The hyphae dissolved holes in the membrane by means of enzymes and plunged into the attractive substance on the other side.
Disease in Plants
H. Marshall Ward

British Dictionary definitions for hyphae

hypha

noun plural -phae (-fiː)

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

Derived Formshyphal, 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

Word Origin and History for hyphae

hypha

1866, from Modern Latin plural hyphae (1810), from Greek hyphe (singular) "web."

hyphae in Medicine

hypha

[hī′fə]

n. pl. hy•phae (-fē)

A long, slender, usually branched filament of fungal mycelium.

hyphae in Science

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.