Meaning of "lichen" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD LICHEN

Via Latin from Greek leikhēn, from leikhein to lick.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF LICHEN

lichen  [ˈlaɪkən]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF LICHEN

Lichen is a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES LICHEN MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Lichen

A lichen is a composite organism consisting of a fungus and a photosynthetic partner growing together in a symbiotic relationship. The photobiont is usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium. The morphology, physiology and biochemistry of lichens are very different from those of the isolated fungus and alga in culture. Lichens occur in some of the most extreme environments on Earth—arctic tundra, hot deserts, rocky coasts, and toxic slag heaps. However, they are also abundant as epiphytes on leaves and branches in rain forests and temperate woodland, on bare rock, including walls and gravestones, and on exposed soil surfaces in otherwise mesic habitats. The roofs of many buildings have lichens growing on them. Lichens are widespread and may be long-lived; however, many are also vulnerable to environmental disturbance, and may be useful to scientists in assessing the effects of air pollution, ozone depletion, and metal contamination. Lichens have been used in making dyes and perfumes, as well as in traditional medicines. It is estimated that 6% of Earth's land surface is covered by lichen. In Scotland, the dye-producing lichens are known as crottle.

Definition of lichen in the English dictionary

The definition of lichen in the dictionary is an organism that is formed by the symbiotic association of a fungus and an alga or cyanobacterium and occurs as crusty patches or bushy growths on tree trunks, bare ground, etc. Lichens are now classified as a phylum of fungi. Other definition of lichen is any of various eruptive disorders of the skin.

TRANSLATION OF LICHEN

Find out the translation of lichen to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of lichen from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «lichen» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 地衣
• Translator English - Spanish: liquen
• English: lichen
• Translator English - Hindi: दाद
• Translator English - Arabic: حزاز
• Translator English - Russian: лишайник
• Translator English - Portuguese: líquen
• Translator English - Bengali: শৈবাল
• Translator English - French: lichen
• Translator English - Malay: Lichen
• Translator English - German: Flechte
• Translator English - Japanese: 地衣類
• Translator English - Korean: 이끼
• Translator English - Javanese: Lichen
• Translator English - Vietnamese: một loài rêu
• Translator English - Tamil: லிச்சென்
• Translator English - Marathi: लेणी
• Translator English - Turkish: liken
• Translator English - Italian: lichene
• Translator English - Polish: porostów
• Translator English - Ukrainian: лишайник
• Translator English - Romanian: lichen
• Translator English - Greek: λειχήνες
• Translator English - Afrikaans: lichen
• Translator English - Swedish: lav
• Translator English - Norwegian: lichen

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «LICHEN»

Discover the use of lichen in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to lichen and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Lichen Biology

A broad-ranging review of organisms which have long-fascinated biologists, ecologists and chemists.

Thomas H. Nash, 1996

Lichen Dyes: The New Source Book

Textile designer and lichen expert covers history of lichen pigments, safe dyeing methods, ecologically sound dyeing, lichen identification, and more.

Karen Diadick Casselman, Karen Leigh Casselman, 2001

The Lichen Symbiosis

Not only an invaluable reference to what is known about lichen bionts and their interactions but also a guide to future studies.

Vernon Ahmadjian, 1993

Identification of Lichen Substances

This handbook is an indispensable tool for the isolation, identification and structural analysis of the approximately 700 substances currently known to occur in lichens.

Siegfried Huneck, Isao Yoshimura, 1996

Lichen Planus: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: ...

The editors have built Lichen Planus: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2013 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Additional Research in this book to be deeper than ...

‎2013

Trouble with Lichen

. . Trouble With Lichen is a scintillating story of the power wielded by science in our lives and asks how much trust should we place in those we appoint to be its guardians?

John Wyndham, 2008

Lichen bioindication of biodiversity, air quality, and ...

Major research findings are presented with emphasis on lichen biodiversity as well as bioindication of air quality and climate.

Sarah Jovan, Pacific Northwest Research Station (Portland, Or.), 2008

Protocols in Lichenology: Culturing, Biochemistry, ...

This manual provides well-tested protocols, including tissue culture protocols and methods for studying lichen ultrastructure, (eco)physiology, primary and secondary compounds, and nucleic acids.

Ilse Kranner, Richard Beckett, Ajit Varma, 2002

Blaustein's Pathology of the Female Genital Tract

Clinical Behavior and Treatment Lichen sclerosus sometimes is associated with vul- var squamous carcinoma; however, it is not considered to be a premalignant intraepithelial neoplasm (see Chapter 3, Premalignant and Malignant Tumors of  ...

Ancel Blaustein, Robert J. Kurman, 2002

NORD Guide to Rare Disorders

Lichen planus. J Am Acad Dermatol 1991; 25:593-619. Cribier B, et al. Treatment of lichen planus: an evidence-based medicine analysis of efficacy. Arch Dermatol 1998;134: 1521— 1530. Silverman S Jr, et al. A prospective study of findings ...

National Organization for Rare Disorders, 2003

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «LICHEN»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term lichen is used in the context of the following news items.

Digital agency Journey has a living lichen logo - News - Digital Arts

The logo was manufactured by online print service Exaprint using stabilised reindeer lichen, which doesn't need water or direct sunlight and ... «Digital Arts Online, Jul 15»

Dust from development operations seems to neutralize acidifying …

"I was expecting to potentially see some negative effects on the forest, perhaps reduced lichen cover and reduced plant cover, and maybe ... «Phys.Org, Jul 15»

Have You Seen This? Mountain bikers take on bobsled track | KSL …

The track is pockmarked and covered in lichen and graffiti — much like other structures built for the games that year — so it's not much good for ... «KSL.com, Jul 15»

A New Normal? Concern As Fire Burns Through Washington …

Instead it's the moss and lichen (commonly referred to as “old man's beard” or “witch's hair” by locals), now crisp and dry after the hottest spring ... «KUOW News and Information, Jul 15»

DICK YARBROUGH: Jekyll Island deer happy to know they are now …

Claude said he had no idea who Lester Holt is and that lichen is not a weed. He says lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae and ... «Gwinnettdailypost.com, Jul 15»

Exaprint sees a growth market in living logos - News - Digital Arts

The logo was manufactured in Exaprint's specialist workshop using stabilised reindeer lichen, which doesn't need water or direct sunlight and ... «Digital Arts Online, Jul 15»

Banks Peninsula: There's fun to be had in Fairy Forest | Stuff.co.nz

You quickly realise that it's now very damp both underfoot and all around as mosses, ferns, and lichen predominate. Straight-trunked totara ... «Stuff.co.nz, Jul 15»

No limits: UMPI professor may be 1st paraplegic to scale Katahdin …

She sat on a fold-out stool, her feet resting on the summit's lichen-encrusted granite. “The point was not to get to the top,” she explained. «Bangor Daily News, Jul 15»

NEWS BRIEFLY: Queets fire update . . . and other items you need to …

Since then it has smoldered in duff on the forest floor and climbed lichen up the trunks of trees, spilling flaming debris back to the ground. «Peninsula Daily, Jul 15»

Paradise Fire Presents A Difficult Puzzle For Washington Firefighters

AHEARN: Normally these forests are wet, full of ferns and massive trees maybe 500 years or older, and lined with moss and lichen like they're ... «WGBH NEWS, Jul 15»