thallus

[ thal-uhs ]

noun,plural thal·li [thal-ahy], /ˈθæl aɪ/, thal·lus·es.Botany, Mycology.
  1. a simple vegetative body undifferentiated into true leaves, stem, and root, ranging from an aggregation of filaments to a complex plantlike form.

Origin of thallus

1
1820–30; <New Latin <Greek thallós young shoot, twig

Words Nearby thallus

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British Dictionary definitions for thallus

thallus

/ (ˈθæləs) /


nounplural thalli (ˈθælaɪ) or thalluses
  1. the undifferentiated vegetative body of algae, fungi, and lichens

Origin of thallus

1
C19: from Latin, from Greek thallos green shoot, from thallein to bloom

Derived forms of thallus

  • thalloid, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for thallus

thallus

[ thăləs ]


Plural thalli (thălī)
  1. A type of body found among plants and fungi that is not differentiated into roots, stems, or leaves. Thalli are found among lichens, mosses, liverworts, and many algae, as well as the gametophyte generations of horsetails and ferns, which have rhizoids but not true roots.

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