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thallus

[thal-uh s]
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noun, plural thal·li [thal-ahy] /ˈθæl aɪ/, thal·lus·es. Botany, Mycology.
  1. a simple vegetative body undifferentiated into true leaves, stem, and root, ranging from an aggregation of filaments to a complex plantlike form.
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Origin of thallus

1820–30; < New Latin < Greek thallós young shoot, twig
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for thallus

Historical Examples

  • The colouring matter is ready formed and abundant in the thallus.

    Vegetable Dyes

    Ethel M. Mairet

  • The thallus does not yet show this important morphological division.

    The Wonders of Life

    Ernst Haeckel

  • The structure of the thallus may serve to represent that of most of the Lichens.

  • Antheridia immersed in the thallus, covered with dentate scales.

  • Piece of thallus of Parmelia conspersa, with section through an apothecium.

British Dictionary definitions for thallus

thallus

noun plural thalli (ˈθælaɪ) or thalluses
  1. the undifferentiated vegetative body of algae, fungi, and lichens
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Derived Formsthalloid, adjective

Word Origin

C19: from Latin, from Greek thallos green shoot, from thallein to bloom
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 thallus

n.

Latin, from Greek thallos "green shoot, twig," related to thalia "abundance," thalos "scion, child," ultimately from PIE root *dhal- "to bloom" (cf. Old Irish duilesc, a type of algae).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
thallus in Medicine

thallus

(thăl′əs)
n. pl. thal•lus•es
  1. A plant body or fungus undifferentiated into stem, root, or leaf.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
thallus in Science

thallus

[thăl′əs]
Plural thalli (thăl′ī)
  1. A type of body found among plants and fungi that is not differentiated into roots, stems, or leaves. Thalli are found among lichens, mosses, liverworts, and many algae, as well as the gametophyte generations of horsetails and ferns, which have rhizoids but not true roots.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.