appressorial
|ap-press-or-i-al|
🇺🇸
/əˌprɛˈsɔːriəl/
🇬🇧
/əˌprɛˈsɔːrɪəl/
pressing closely
Etymology
'appressorial' originates from Latin, specifically from the verb 'appressare' (related to 'ad-' + 'pressare'), where 'ad-' meant 'to/toward' and 'pressare' meant 'to press'.
'appressorial' changed from the Medieval/Neo-Latin formation based on Latin 'appressare' and the participial stem 'appress-', then was formed in English with the adjectival suffix '-ial' to yield 'appressorial'.
Initially it referred simply to the action or state of being pressed toward (from Latin), but in modern specialist usage it evolved to mean 'relating to an appressorium' or more generally 'lying closely pressed'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or characteristic of an appressorium (a specialized, pressuring structure of some fungi used to adhere to and penetrate host surfaces).
The fungus forms an appressorial infection structure; its appressorial cells generate high turgor pressure to penetrate the host cuticle.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/27 04:52