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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, adjectiveWords nearby theca
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use theca in a sentence
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, adjectiveWord 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
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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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.