What does "sorus" mean?

Any reproductive structure, in some lichens and fungi, that produces spores.

What is a synonym for "sorus"?

Common synonyms include: fruit dot, fruit dot, spore.

//ˈsɔːɹəs// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Any reproductive structure, in some lichens and fungi, that produces spores.
2
cluster of sporangia usually on underside of a fern frond wordnet
3
A cluster of sporangia on the edge or underside of a fern frond.
"AGLAOMORPHIA, [...] Sori non-indusiate, rotundate, [...] Fronds coriaceous, dimorphous, the sterile sessile querciform, brown rigid; [...]"
4
a spore-producing structure in certain lichens and fungi wordnet

"AGLAOMORPHIA, [...] Sori non-indusiate, rotundate, [...] Fronds coriaceous, dimorphous, the sterile sessile querciform, brown rigid; [...]"

From New Latin sōrus, from Ancient Greek σωρός (sōrós, “heap”).

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