apothecium

noun

apo·​the·​ci·​um ˌa-pə-ˈthē-shē-əm 

-sē-

plural apothecia ˌa-pə-ˈthē-shē-ə 

-sē-

: a spore-bearing structure in many lichens and fungi consisting of a discoid or cupped body bearing asci on the exposed flat or concave surface

apothecial

ˌa-pə-ˈthē-sh(ē-)əl 

-sē-əl

adjective

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin apothēcium, from Greek apothḗkē "storehouse, repository" + New Latin -ium -ium — more at apothecary

Note: The term was introduced by the Swedish botanist Erik Acharius (1757-1819) in Methodus qua omnes detectos lichenes (Stockholm, 1803), p. ix.

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above