apothecium

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noun

A type of fructification of some ascomycete fungi, forming cyst structures of various shapes. Often the fungal components of lichens have this sort of fertile structure.

OriginAncient Greek ἀποθήκη →
Scrabble 19
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Meanings

nounapothecium (plural apothecia)

plural apothecia

  1. biologyA type of fructification of some ascomycete fungi, forming cyst structures of various shapes. Often the fungal components of lichens have this sort of fertile structure.

    Apothecia lecanoroid; multilocular; each cell containing a single theke; paraphyses deficient.

    1882, Edward Tuckerman, Henry Willey, A Synopsis of the North American Lichens (part 1)

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἀποθήκη“storehouse”
  2. Englishapothecium

Coined in 1803, probably based on Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (apothḗkē, “storehouse”). By surface analysis, derived from thecium, see there also for related terms.

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan apoteci
  • apotecithe ascigerous fructification of lichens
Dutch apothecium
  • apotheciumthe ascigerous fructification of lichens
Finnish kotelomalja
  • kotelomaljathe ascigerous fructification of lichens
French apothécie
  • apothéciethe ascigerous fructification of lichens
German Apothecium
  • Apotheciumthe ascigerous fructification of lichens
Irish apaitéiciam
  • apaitéiciamthe ascigerous fructification of lichens
Italian apotècio
  • apotèciothe ascigerous fructification of lichens
Polish apotecjum, miseczka
  • apotecjumthe ascigerous fructification of lichens
  • miseczkathe ascigerous fructification of lichens
Portuguese apotécio
  • apotéciothe ascigerous fructification of lichens
Spanish apotecio
  • apoteciothe ascigerous fructification of lichens
Swedish apothecium
  • apotheciumthe ascigerous fructification of lichens
Cite this entry
APA

apothecium. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apothecium

MLA

“apothecium.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apothecium. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “apothecium,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/apothecium.

Source: apothecium on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.