Ostiole
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A small hole or opening through which certain fungi release their mature spores.
"The Erysiphacae may possibly have given rise to the Laboulbeniales, the only other group in which a single daughter cell of the oogonium is responsible for the asci, and perhaps to the lower Pyrenomycetes also; these, like the Erysiphaceae, have regularly arranged asci, and in Chaetomium fimete the perithecium is without an ostiole."
- 2 a small pore especially one in the reproductive bodies of certain algae and fungi through which spores pass wordnet
- 3 A similar hole or opening in plants, such as the opening of the involuted fig inflorescence through which fig wasps enter to pollinate and breed.
Example
More examples"The Erysiphacae may possibly have given rise to the Laboulbeniales, the only other group in which a single daughter cell of the oogonium is responsible for the asci, and perhaps to the lower Pyrenomycetes also; these, like the Erysiphaceae, have regularly arranged asci, and in Chaetomium fimete the perithecium is without an ostiole."
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin ostiolum.
Related phrases
More for "ostiole"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.