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sporangium

[spuh-ran-jee-uh m]
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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.
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Origin of sporangium

1815–25; < New Latin, equivalent to spor- spor- + Greek angeîon vessel
Also called spore case.
Related formsspo·ran·gi·al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sporangium

Historical Examples

  • In fact, the structure of the sporangium is unique among the Myxomycetes.

    The Myxomycetes of the Miami Valley, Ohio

    A. P. Morgan

  • The wall of the sporangium is exactly like that of certain species of Diderma.

  • A distinctive feature is the incomplete annulus of the sporangium.

    How to Know the Ferns

    S. Leonard Bastin

  • The manner in which the spores originate in the sporangium calls for comment.

    How to Know the Ferns

    S. Leonard Bastin

  • Associated with the spores in the sporangium occurs the capillitium.

    The North American Slime-Moulds

    Thomas H. (Thomas Huston) MacBride

British Dictionary definitions for sporangium

sporangium

noun plural -gia (-dʒɪə)
  1. any organ, esp in fungi, in which asexual spores are produced
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Derived Formssporangial, adjective

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for sporangium

n.

(plural sporangia), Modern Latin, from Greek spora "spore" (see spore) + angeion "vessel" (see angio-).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
sporangium in Medicine

sporangium

(spə-răn′jē-əm)
n. pl. spo•ran•gi•a (-jē-ə)
  1. A cell within a fungus in which asexual spores are produced by progressive cleavage.
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Related formsspo•ran′gi•al (-jē-əl) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
sporangium in Science

sporangium

[spə-răn′jē-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
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.