theca

[ thee-kuh ]

/ ˈθi kə /

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noun, plural the·cae

[thee-see]. /ˈθi si/.

a case or receptacle.

Botany, Mycology.

a sac, cell, or capsule.
a sporangium.

Anatomy, Zoology. a case or sheath enclosing an organ, structure, etc., as the horny covering of an insect pupa or the loose membrane covering the spinal cord.

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Origin of theca

1655–65; <Latin thēca, from Greek thḗkē “case, cover,” akin to tithénai “to place, put”

OTHER WORDS FROM theca

thecal, adjective

Words nearby theca

Brothers Karamazov, The, The buck stops here, The Buddha, the business, The business of America is business, theca, theca-cell tumor, theca cordis, theca folliculi, thecal, Call of the Wild, The

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use theca in a sentence

From its sides behind proceed the antenn-cases (Cera-theca); and before from the middle, the tongue-case (Glosso-theca).
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)|William Kirby
A chronic inflammatory involvement of a theca through which an important tendon plays may cause adhesions to form.
Lameness of the Horse|John Victor Lacroix
In addition to aspirating synovia, the introduction of equal parts of alcohol and tincture of iodin into the theca is necessary.
Lameness of the Horse|John Victor Lacroix
The body is often provided with not-living external formations “stalk” and “theca” (or “lorica”).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 5|Various

The word theca signified in classical Latin a case or receptacle in which any object was kept.
The Care of Books|John Willis Clark

British Dictionary definitions for theca

theca

/ (ˈθiːkə) /

noun plural -cae (-siː)

botany an enclosing organ, cell, or spore case, esp the capsule of a moss

zoology a hard outer covering, such as the cup-shaped container of a coral polyp

Derived forms of theca

thecal or thecate, adjective

Word Origin for theca

C17: from Latin thēca, from Greek thēkē case; related to Greek tithenai to place

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

Medical definitions for theca

theca

[ thē′kə ]

n. pl. the•cae (-sē′, -kē′)

A case, covering, or sheath, such as the outer covering of the cocoon of certain insects.

Scientific definitions for theca

theca

[ thē′kə ]

Plural thecae (thē′sē′, -kē′)

A case, covering, or sheath, such as the pollen sac of an anther, the spore case of a moss, or the outer covering of the pupa of certain insects.