appressorium
|ap-press-o-ri-um|
/əˌprɛsəˈrɪəm/
pressing instrument for penetration
Etymology
'appressorium' originates from New Latin (scientific Latin), ultimately from Latin roots such as 'appressare'/'appressus', where the prefix 'ad-' (appearing as 'ap-') meant 'to/toward' and 'pressare'/'pressus' meant 'to press' or 'pressed'.
'appressorium' was formed in New Latin from Latin elements (compare Latin 'appressare' or participle 'appressus' meaning 'pressed toward') and was later adopted into English scientific vocabulary as the term for the fungal attachment/penetration structure.
Originally derived from roots meaning 'to press toward' or 'pressed', the term came to be used specifically in biology for the fungal structure that presses against and penetrates a host surface.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a specialized, often swollen fungal cell or structure formed at the tip of a hypha that generates mechanical and/or enzymatic force to adhere to and penetrate a host surface (e.g., a plant cuticle) during infection.
The fungus developed an appressorium to breach the plant's cuticle and initiate infection.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/27 05:06