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]