lichen

Pronunciation: /ˈlaɪ.kən/

The English word “lichen” has 3 meanings listed here.

noun

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.
Something which gradually spreads across something else, causing damage.

verb

To cover with lichen.

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.

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More English words

lich-wake
licham
lichanos
lichdom
lichen moth
lichen planus
lichen sclerosus
lichen simplex chronicus

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.