hypha

1 9.9

A long thin thread that makes up the body of a fungus and absorbs nutrients

noun
/ˈhaɪfə/

Specialized

: hifa

The hypha's exclusively linear growth generates a vast absorptive surface area with very modest increases in cell volume.
fungal hypha

Examples

And so, yeah, finding those that hyphae is very, very important to knowing you have good quality compost.
That white is hyphae, and it's basically the roots of the fungi.
However, the growth of the vegetative fungal hypha occurs exclusively at the tip.

Academic text (2001)
A single fungal hypha can stretch for several meters, forming a network beneath the soil.
Each hypha releases enzymes to help break down organic material and absorb nutrients.
The mycelium of the fungus consists of numerous hyphae woven together to form a dense structure.

Surface Forms

hypha singular

hyphae plural

Etymology

The word hypha comes from the Greek root hyphē, which means 'web' or 'weaving', so you can imagine thin threads weaving together like a tiny web. That's why a hypha is a long, thin thread that makes up the body of a fungus.