prothallium
Americannoun
plural
prothallia-
Botany. the gametophyte of ferns and related plants.
-
the analogous rudimentary gametophyte of seed-bearing plants.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prothallium
1855–60; < New Latin < Greek pro- pro- 2 + thallíon, diminutive of thallós young shoot; see -ium
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I, vertical section of the female prothallium of Selaginella, × 50. ar. archegonium.
From Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany For High Schools and Elementary College Courses by Campbell, Douglas Houghton
As soon as the fern is firmly established, the prothallium withers away.
From Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany For High Schools and Elementary College Courses by Campbell, Douglas Houghton
But the asexual generation derived from the oospore only for a short while remains in connection with the prothallium, which, of course, answers to the leafy portion of the moss.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 531, March 6, 1886 by Various
J, a male prothallium, × 50. an. an antheridium.
From Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany For High Schools and Elementary College Courses by Campbell, Douglas Houghton
In the upper part of the prothallium several large archegonia are formed in much the same way as in the pteridophytes.
From Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany For High Schools and Elementary College Courses by Campbell, Douglas Houghton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
