sorus

[ sawr-uhs, sohr- ]

noun,plural so·ri

[sawr-ahy, sohr-ahy]. /ˈsɔr aɪ, ˈsoʊr aɪ/.

Botany. one of the clusters of sporangia on the back of the fronds of ferns.
Mycology. a soruslike spore mass of certain fungi and lichens.

Origin of sorus

1825–35; <New Latin <Greek sōrós heap

Words Nearby sorus

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

How to use sorus in a sentence

The indusium arises from a vein to which the sorus is attached.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
The sorus is circular and is covered with an indusium which is notched or kidney-shaped.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
Synangium, si-nan′ji-um, n. an arterial trunk: the boat-shaped sorus of certain ferns.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) | Various
Commonly the spore-cases occupy only detached spots or lines, each of which is called a sorus, or in English merely a Fruit-dot.
The Elements of Botany | Asa Gray
In this case the sorus is always near to the margin of the leaf, and the indusium or covering is cup-shaped.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin

British Dictionary definitions for sorus

sorus

/ (ˈsɔːrəs) /

nounplural -ri (-raɪ)

a cluster of sporangia on the undersurface of certain fern leaves
any of various similar spore-producing structures in some lichens and fungi

Origin of sorus

C19: via New Latin from Greek sōros a heap

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

Scientific definitions for sorus

sorus

[ sôr′əs ]

Plural sori (sôr′ī)

A cluster of sporangia borne on the underside of a fern frond. A sorus is sometimes covered by an indusium. Also called fruitdot
A reproductive structure consisting of masses of spores, characteristic of certain fungi such as rusts and smuts.

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