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prothallium

American  
[proh-thal-ee-uhm] / proʊˈθæl i əm /

noun

plural

prothallia

  1. Botany. the gametophyte of ferns and related plants.

  2. the analogous rudimentary gametophyte of seed-bearing plants.

Other Word Forms

  • prothallial adjective
  • prothallic adjective
  • prothalline adjective
  • prothalloid adjective

Etymology

Origin of prothallium

1855–60; < New Latin < Greek pro- pro- 2 + thallíon, diminutive of thallós young shoot; -ium

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.