Ascus

//ˈæskəs// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A sac-shaped cell present in ascomycete fungi; it is a reproductive cell in which meiosis and an additional cell division produce eight spores.

    "The one important character which distinguishes the Ascomycetes from all other fungi is the ascus (plural, asci). This is a sac-like structure in which ascospores are formed following karyogamy and meiosis."

  2. 2
    saclike structure in which ascospores are formed through sexual reproduction of ascomycetes wordnet

Example

More examples

"The one important character which distinguishes the Ascomycetes from all other fungi is the ascus (plural, asci). This is a sac-like structure in which ascospores are formed following karyogamy and meiosis."

Etymology

From New Latin ascus, from Ancient Greek ἀσκός (askós, “a sac”). Doublet of askos.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.