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Added 9 October 2026

lichen

/ˈlaɪ.kən/ noun

In Latin: līchēn First recorded: 1715 Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about lichen at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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.

Origin

Borrowed from Latin līchēn, from Ancient Greek λειχήν (leikhḗn), from λείχω (leíkhō, “to lick”). Originally used of liverwort; the modern sense first recorded 1715.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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