thallophyte

[thal-uh-fahyt]

noun

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

thallophyte

/ 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

thallophyte

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.

Other Word Forms

• thallophytic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of thallophyte¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of thallophyte¹

C19: from New Latin thallophyta, from Greek thallos a young shoot + phuton a plant

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.

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Algae form a class of the thallophytes or cellular plants in which the physiological functions of the plant are delegated most completely to the individual cell.

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