WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
ep•i•the•ci•um
(ep′ə thē′shē əm, -sē əm),USA pronunciation n., pl. -ci•a (-shē ə, -sē ə).USA pronunciation [Mycol.]
ep•i•the•ci•al
(ep′ə thē′shē əl, -shəl),USA pronunciation adj.
- Fungithe surface layer of tissue of the fruiting body of lichens and fungi, formed by the union of the tips of the paraphyses over the spore sacs.
- Neo-Latin; see epi-, thecium
- 1875–80;