basidium
- noun
- /bəˈsɪdiəm/
- Specialized
:
basidio
- In fungi, each basidium can produce up to four spores that are essential for reproduction.
The higher mushrooms, the basidium, my seeds are very old, long before there were animal nervous systems for them to interact with.
- The higher mushrooms, the basidium, my seeds are very old, long before there were animal nervous systems for them to interact with.
Examples
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Scientists observed the structure of a basidium under the microscope to study its spore production.
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The basidium is a crucial part of the life cycle of many mushroom species, helping them disperse spores.
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The higher mushrooms, the basidium, my seeds are very old, long before there were animal nervous systems for them to interact with.
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The higher mushrooms, the basidium, my seeds are very old, long before there were animal nervous systems for them to interact with.
Synonyms
A short, thread-like growth that some fungi make to produce spores
Surface Forms
Morphology
basidium = basis (opaque) = basid + ium
Although formed from a learned combining form and the noun-forming suffix '-ium', the resulting technical biological meaning ('microscopic club-shaped structure') is specialized and not derivable by an average B1 learner from the base 'basis'.
Etymology
Basidium comes from the Greek root basis meaning 'base' and the small ending -idion meaning 'little', so it originally meant 'little base'. That's why a basidium is the tiny, club-shaped 'base' or little stand on some fungi that holds and makes their spores.
