lichenize

English

Alternative forms

• lichenise (British spelling)

Etymology

From lichen +‎ -ize.

Verb

lichenize (third-person singular simple present lichenizes, present participle lichenizing, simple past and past participle lichenized) (American spelling)

1. (transitive) To cover with lichens.
   • 2023, Lorentz C. Pearson, The Diversity and Evolution of Plants, page 213:

     They found that the same species of mycobiont could lichenize different species of alga , resulting in essentially identical lichens.

2. (intransitive) To form a lichen or species of lichen.
   • 2021, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds ..., page 86:

     Today, one in five of all known fungal species form lichens, or "lichenize".

Anagrams

• Chilenize