Main Entry:

li·chen

Pronunciation:

\ˈlī-kən, British also ˈli-chən\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Latin, from Greek leichēn, lichēn, from leichein to lick

Date:

circa 1657

1 : any of several skin diseases characterized by a papular eruption 2 : any of numerous complex plantlike organisms made up of an alga and a fungus growing in symbiotic association on a solid surface (as a rock)

— li·chened \-kənd\ adjective

— li·chen·ous \-kə-nəs\ adjective

[lichen illustration]