rhizoid

American  

[rahy-zoid] / ˈraɪ zɔɪd /

adjective

1. rootlike.

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noun

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

rhizoid British  

/ ˈraɪzɔɪd /

noun

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

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rhizoid Scientific  

/ rī′zoid′ /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• rhizoidal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of rhizoid

1855–60; rhiz- ( def. ) + -oid

Compare meaning

How does rhizoid compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• rhizome vs. rhizoid

Example Sentences

In a bryophyte, all the conspicuous vegetative organs—including the photosynthetic leaf-like structures, the thallus, stem, and the rhizoid that anchors the plant to its substrate—belong to the haploid organism or gametophyte.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Slowly, the benefits of the endophyte and rhizoid interactions for both partners led to present-day mycorrhizae; up to about 90 percent of today’s vascular plants have associations with fungi in their rhizosphere.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

A, Germinating spores. s, Wall of spore; v, vacuole; w, rhizoid.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various