lichen

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) Any of many symbiotic organisms, being associations of algae and fungi, often found as white or yellow-to-blue–green patches on rocks, old walls, etc.
2. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) Something which gradually spreads across something else, causing damage.

Verb

To cover with lichen.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈlaɪ.kən/

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin līchēn, from Ancient Greek λειχήν (leikhḗn), from λείχω (leíkhō, “to lick”). Originally used of liverwort; the modern sense first recorded 1715.

Synonyms

moss

ringworm

fungus

mildew

caribou moss

mushroom

🍄

slime

tartar

tetter

tinea

truffle

wartwort

tree-moss

herpes

thallophytic plant

musci

treemoss

rock-moss

algae

aetheogam

bryophyte

cork

duckweed

morel

Translations

Flechte

lichene

liquen

lichen

λειχήνα

líquen

korstmos

liquen

porost

lichen

λειχήνες

حزاز

líquenes

Lichenes

liszaj