mycorrhiza

or my·co·rhi·za

[ mahy-kuh-rahy-zuh ]
/ ˌmaɪ kəˈraɪ zə /

noun, plural my·cor·rhi·zae [mahy-kuh-rahy-zee] /ˌmaɪ kəˈraɪ zi/, my·cor·rhi·zas. Plant Pathology.

a symbiotic association of the mycelium of a fungus, especially a basidiomycete, with the roots of certain plants, in which the hyphae form a closely woven mass around the rootlets or penetrate the cells of the root.
Also called fungus root.

Origin of mycorrhiza

First recorded in 1890–95; myco- + -rrhiza

OTHER WORDS FROM mycorrhiza

my·cor·rhi·zal, my·co·rhi·zal, adjective

Words nearby mycorrhiza

mycoplasma mycoides, mycoplasma pharyngis, mycoplasma pneumoniae, mycoplasmal pneumonia, mycoplasmatales, mycorrhiza, mycosis, mycosis fungoides, mycosozin, mycostat, mycostatin

British Dictionary definitions for mycorrhiza

mycorrhiza

mycorhiza

/ (ˌmaɪkəˈraɪzə) /

noun plural -zae (-ziː) or -zas

an association of a fungus and a plant in which the fungus lives within or on the outside of the plant's roots forming a symbiotic or parasitic relationship See ectotrophic mycorrhiza, endotrophic mycorrhiza

Derived forms of mycorrhiza

mycorrhizal or mycorhizal, adjective

Word Origin for mycorrhiza

C19: from myco- + Greek rhiza root

Scientific definitions for mycorrhiza

mycorrhiza
[ mī′kə-rī′zə ]

The symbiotic association of the mycelium of a fungus with the roots of plants. The majority of vascular plants have mycorrhizae. The fungus assists in the absorption of minerals and water from the soil and defends the roots from other fungi and nematodes, while the plant provides carbohydrates to the fungus. There are two kinds of mycorrhizae: endomycorrhizae, in which the fungal hyphae enter the cells of the root cortex, and ectomycorrhizae, in which they surround the cells.