Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
perithecium

perithecium

1 9.9
A small, flask-shaped body on some fungi that holds spore sacs
  • noun
  • /ˌpɛrɪˈθiːsiəm/
  • Specialized
: peritecio
  • Under the microscope, we observed the distinct flask shape of the perithecium.

Examples

  • The perithecium of the fungus contains numerous asci filled with spores.

  • This specific pressure will result in the release of ascospores from the perithecium.

    Blog text (12)

  • Researchers studied the perithecium to understand how the spores are released during reproduction.

Surface Forms

perithecium singular
perithecia plural

Morphology

perithecium = theca (opaque) = peri + thecium

A technical biological term formed from Greek combining elements; its meaning is not transparently recoverable by an average B1 learner from the parts.

Etymology

Perithecium comes from Greek parts peri- meaning 'around' and theke meaning 'case' or 'box', the same peri- you see in perimeter. So it means a 'case around' the spores, which is why a perithecium is the flask-shaped body that surrounds and protects the spore sacs.