prothallium

[ proh-thal-ee-uhm ]

noun,plural pro·thal·li·a

[proh-thal-ee-uh]. /proʊˈθæl i ə/.

Botany. the gametophyte of ferns and related plants.
the analogous rudimentary gametophyte of seed-bearing plants.

Origin of prothallium

¹

1855–60; <New Latin <Greek pro-pro-² + thallíon, diminutive of thallós young shoot; see -ium

Other words from prothallium

pro·thal·li·al, pro·thal·lic, pro·thal·line [proh-thal-een, -ahyn], /proʊˈθæl in, -aɪn/, adjective
pro·thal·loid, adjective

Words Nearby prothallium

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

How to use prothallium in a sentence

The spore produces the small green prothallium by cell-division in the usual way, and this completes the cycle of fern life.
Scientific American Supplement, Vol. XXI., No. 531, March 6, 1886 | Various
At a later period, other organs are found also on the back of the prothallium.
An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope | John William Griffith
The prothallium is of a peculiar dull-green colour, different from that of the young frond which is subsequently formed.
An Elementary Text-book of the Microscope | John William Griffith
To make these, the prothallium should be placed between small pieces of pith, and the razor must be very sharp.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany | Douglas Houghton Campbell
As soon as the fern is firmly established, the prothallium withers away.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany | Douglas Houghton Campbell

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