appressoria
|a-pres-so-ri-a|
🇺🇸
/əˌprɛsəˈriə/
🇬🇧
/əˌprɛsəˈrɪə/
(appressorium)
pressing instrument for penetration
Etymology
'appressorium' originates from Latin, specifically from a form related to 'appressare' (from ad- + premere/pressare), where 'ad-' meant 'to/toward' and 'premere/pressare' meant 'to press', combined with the Latin suffix '-orium' meaning 'instrument' or 'place'.
'appressorium' is a New Latin/scientific formation based on Latin elements ('appressare' + '-orium') and entered modern scientific English usage (mycology) as the term 'appressorium' (plural 'appressoria').
Initially it referred generally to an 'instrument or means for pressing'; over time the term was specialized in biology/mycology to mean a fungal structure that presses against and helps penetrate a host surface.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'appressorium' — specialized, often flattened and adhesive structures produced by certain parasitic fungi that press against a host surface and help penetrate host tissue to initiate infection.
The fungus formed multiple appressoria on the leaf surface before penetrating the tissue.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/27 04:38