athecate
|a-the-cate|
/əˈθiːkeɪt/
without a sheath/case
Etymology
'athecate' originates from Greek, specifically from the elements 'a-' (not) and 'thekē' (Greek: 'θήκη') meaning 'case' or 'sheath'.
'athecate' was coined in New Latin/scientific English from Greek roots: Greek 'thekē' passed into Latin/Neo-Latin as 'theca', and the negative prefix 'a-' was added to form terms meaning 'without a theca', eventually entering modern scientific English as 'athecate'.
Initially it meant 'without a case or sheath' (the literal negative of 'thecate'); over time the meaning has remained essentially the same but become specialized to biological/taxonomic contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
lacking a theca (a protective case or sheath); used especially in zoology and botany to describe organisms (e.g., certain hydroids or diatoms) that do not have a theca.
Athecate hydroids lack a protective theca around their polyps.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/10 13:36