sporangium

[ spuh-ran-jee-uhm ]

noun,plural spo·ran·gi·a [spuh-ran-jee-uh]. /spəˈræn dʒi ə/. Botany, Mycology.
  1. the case or sac in which spores are produced.

Origin of sporangium

1
1815–25; <New Latin, equivalent to spor-spor- + Greek angeîon vessel
  • Also called spore case .

Other words from sporangium

  • spo·ran·gi·al, adjective

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

How to use sporangium in a sentence

  • The fertile shoots terminate in cones, on the modified leaves of which the sporangia are produced.

    The Sea Shore | William S. Furneaux
  • The spores are contained in stalked sporangia, and the tetraspores are near the centres of the segments.

    The Sea Shore | William S. Furneaux
  • Sporangia distinct, minute, long stipitate, opening above by a distinct lid.

    The North American Slime-Moulds | Thomas H. (Thomas Huston) MacBride
  • The "net-like, three-winged skeleton" referred to by Rostafinski results from the union at one point of three adjoining sporangia.

    The North American Slime-Moulds | Thomas H. (Thomas Huston) MacBride
  • In this case the outermost sporangia are often consolidated to form a cortex more or less dense and shining.

    The North American Slime-Moulds | Thomas H. (Thomas Huston) MacBride

British Dictionary definitions for sporangium

sporangium

/ (spəˈrændʒɪəm) /


nounplural -gia (-dʒɪə)
  1. any organ, esp in fungi, in which asexual spores are produced

Origin of sporangium

1
C19: from New Latin, from sporo- + Greek angeion receptacle

Derived forms of sporangium

  • sporangial, adjective

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 sporangium

sporangium

[ spə-rănjē-əm ]


Plural sporangia
  1. A cell or structure in which spores are produced. Ferns, fungi, mosses, and algae release spores from sporangia. Also called spore case

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.