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heterothallic

American  
[het-er-uh-thal-ik] / ˌhɛt ər əˈθæl ɪk /

adjective

Mycology.

  1. having mycelia of two unlike types, both of which must participate in the sexual process.

  2. dioecious.

heterothallic British  
/ ˌhɛtərəʊˈθælɪk /

adjective

  1. (of some algae and fungi) having male and female reproductive organs on different thalli

  2. (of some fungi) having sexual reproduction that occurs only between two self-sterile mycelia

"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

Other Word Forms

  • heterothallism noun

Etymology

Origin of heterothallic

First recorded in 1900–05; hetero- + thallic

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.