chytrid

noun

chy·​trid ˈkī-trəd How to pronounce chytrid (audio)
ˈki-
variants or chytrid fungus
: any simple, microscopic, aquatic fungus (phylum Chytridiomycota) that does not typically form mycelium, that bears motile spores with a single posterior flagellum, and that is either saprophytic on decaying organic matter or parasitic especially on algae, higher plants, and the skin of amphibians (as in chytridiomycosis)

Examples of chytrid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Four years ago, a survey at the edge of the Darien National Park found that the frogs were still chytrid-free. Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 15 June 2011 Students and teachers in Oklahoma are needed to catch frogs, swab them for a fungus called chytrid (potentially lethal to frogs), and then safely release them. Eva Lewandowski, Discover Magazine, 2 Feb. 2017 But the frog is also a vector for the chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), implicated in the extinction of nearly 100 frog species. Marisa Sloan, Discover Magazine, 15 Oct. 2021 The fungus, known as chytrid or Bd (for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), appeared in northwest Costa Rica in the early 1980s, per New Scientist. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Sep. 2022 In 1998, a chytrid fungus was found to have caused a lot of the deaths, especially those of frogs, in the rainforests of Central America and Australia. BostonGlobe.com, 20 May 2021 In 1998, a chytrid fungus was found to have caused many of the deaths, especially of frogs, in the rain forests of Central America and Australia. New York Times, 19 May 2021 And the chytrid fungus, which causes sloughing of skin, lethargy, weight loss, and potentially death in frogs and toads, hasn't been linked with population level declines in Wisconsin amphibians. Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2021 And vice versa: species that didn’t appear in the after-chytrid surveys may not have disappeared from the region. Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chytrid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably taken as singular of German Chytriden, variant of Chytridien, plural of Chytridium, a fungus genus, borrowed from New Latin, borrowed from Greek chytrídion "small pot, cup" (alluding to the pot-like sporangium), diminutive of chýtra "earthenware pot," from chy- (zero-grade stem of chéō, cheîn "to pour," going back to Indo-European *ǵheu̯-) + -trā, suffix of instruments — more at found entry 5

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chytrid was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near chytrid

Cite this Entry

“Chytrid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chytrid. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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