▪ I. ‖ sorus1
(ˈsɔərəs)
Pl. sori (ˈsɔəraɪ).
[mod.L., ad. Gr. σωρός heap.]
1. Bot. A cluster of capsules or spore-cases on the under surface of fern-leaves.
| 1832 Lindley Introd. Bot. i. iii. 196 In a third tribe the sori occupy the whole of the under surface of the frond. 1857 T. Moore Handbk. Brit. Ferns (ed. 3) 8 The part of the vein on which the sorus is seated. 1876 Harley Royle's Mat. Med. 360 Sori elliptical, imbedded in the substance of the thallus, concave on one side. |
2. A similar formation in algæ, lichens, or fungi.
| 1842 Penny Cycl. XXII. 266/2 The term sorus is some⁓times applied to mere collections of spores or granules, as seen in many Algæ, of which Delesseria alata and D. sinuosa are examples. 1874 Cooke Fungi 38 The pustules, or sori, break through the cuticle in a similar manner. |
▪ II. † sorus2
obs. variant of sora.
| 1775 A. Burnaby Trav. 25 They went out into an adjoining marsh to catch soruses... The sorus is not known to be in Virginia, except for about six weeks from the latter end of September. |