lichen
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lichen
- /ˈlaɪ.kən/
- /ˈlɪtʃ.ən/
Sounds like liken, lycan · Rhymes with -aɪkən, -ɪtʃən
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Latin līchēn, from Ancient Greek λειχήν (leikhḗn), from λείχω (leíkhō, “to lick”). Originally used of liverwort; the modern sense first recorded 1715.
noun lichens · lichen
- 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. The Beaches of Lukannon–the winter wheat so tall, / The dripping, crinkled lichens, and the sea-fog drenching all!
-
Something which gradually spreads across something else, causing damage.
Meanwhile, abiding a day of judgment, she fought ceaselessly to deny the bitter drops in her cup, to tear back the slow, the intangibly slow growth of a hot, corrosive lichen eating into her heart.
Similar: cancer
verb lichens · lichening · lichened
- To cover with lichen. […] making the rocks assume the mould of age and lichening the trees with damp beauty.
Translations
Every language
noun symbiotic association of algae and fungi
| Español | liquen |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 지의류 jiuiryu |
| 日本語 | 地衣類 chiirui |
| 中文 | 地衣 dìyī |
| हिन्दी | लाइकेन lāiken, शैवाक śaivāk, शैक śaik, काई kāī |
| Português | líquen |
| Français | lichen |
| Deutsch | Flechte |
| Italiano | lichene |
| Ελληνικά | λειχήνα leichína |
| Română | lichen |
| Русский | лиша́йник lišájnik, лиша́й lišáj |
| Tiếng Việt | địa y |
| العربية | أُشْنَة ʔušna, حَزَاز ḥazāz |
| עברית | חֲזָזִית khazazít |
Talk about this word "lichen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lichen. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. lichen. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lichen "lichen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lichen.Cite this
@misc{lichen_2026,
title = {lichen},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lichen},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
