crustose

C3R1U1S1T1O1S1E1
UK/ˈkɹʊs.təʊs/US/ˈkɹʊs.toʊs/

adjective

Of a lichen, growing tightly appressed to the substrate.

OriginLatin crustōsus →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

adjectivecrustose (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebiologyOf a lichen, growing tightly appressed to the substrate.

    Fruticose lichens drape and tuft; crustose and squamulose lichens creep and seep; foliose lichens layer and flake.

    2020, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, page 84

Origin

  1. Latincrustōsus“with a hard crust”
  2. Englishcrustose

Borrowed from Latin crustōsus (“with a hard crust”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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