rhizoid

[rahy-zoid]

adjective

1. rootlike.

noun

1. (in mosses, ferns, etc.) one of the rootlike filaments by which the plant is attached to the substratum.

rhizoid

/ ˈraɪzɔɪd /

noun

1. any of various slender hairlike structures that function as roots in the gametophyte generation of mosses, ferns, and related plants

rhizoid

1. A slender, rootlike filament by which mosses, liverworts, and the gametophytes of ferns attach themselves to the material in which they grow.

2. A branching, rootlike extension by which algae and fungi absorb water and nutrients.

Other Word Forms

• rhizoidal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhizoid¹

1855–60; rhiz- ( def. ) + -oid

Example Sentences

There are no roots, but they have anchoring structures called rhizoids, which can reach down a few inches.

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In the lab, this moss sent out new shoots from its rootlike "rhizoids," the researchers report.

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C. lyra can grow up to 37cm long – impressive for a sponge – and are anchored to the sea-floor by a structure called a rhizoid, which looks like a root system.

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It sends some long cells into the soil to serve as root-like objects called “rhizoids” and lives long enough to do its job.

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True roots are never present, the plants being attached to the soil by rhizoids, which resemble the root-hairs of higher plants.

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