thallophyte

American  

[thal-uh-fahyt] / ˈθæl əˌfaɪt /

noun

1. any of the Thallophyta, a plant division in some older classification schemes, comprising algae, fungi, and lichens.

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thallophyte British  

/ ˌθæləˈfɪtɪk, ˈθæləˌfaɪt /

noun

1. obsolete any organism of the former division Thallophyta , lacking true stems, leaves, and roots: includes the algae, fungi, lichens, and bacteria, all now regarded as separate phyla

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thallophyte Scientific  

/ thăl′ə-fīt′ /

1. Any of a former group of plantlike organisms showing no differentiation into stem, root, or leaf. Thallophytes were regarded as constituting a major division of the plant kingdom and included the algae, fungi, and lichens. No longer in scientific use.

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Other Word Forms

• thallophytic adjective

Etymology

Origin of thallophyte

First recorded in 1850–55, thallophyte is from the New Latin word Thallophyta group name. See thallus, -o-, -phyte

Example Sentences

The amoeba in a stagnant pool, a thallophyte on a bit of old bread, any of the myriads of trees and plants that you see in the jungle all have consciousness as well as you.

From Astounding Stories of Super-Science, December 1930 by Various