basidium
/bəˈsɪdɪəm/ noun
Forms basidia
- noun (mycology) A small structure, shaped like a club, found in the Basidiomycota division of fungi, that bears four spores at the tips of small projections. [from 19th c.]
Etymology
A Latinized form of Ancient Greek βάσις (básis, “base”) + -idium.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A special oblong or pyriform cell, with slender branches, which bears the spores in that division of fungi called Basidiomycetes, of which the common mushroom is an example.
Etymology [NL., dim. of Gr. base.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “basidium”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details