Definition of paraphysis in English:
 paraphysis
nounPlural paraphyses pəˈrafɪsɪspəˈrafəsəs
Botany A sterile hairlike filament present among the reproductive organs in many lower plants, especially bryophytes, algae, and fungi.
 Example sentencesExamples
-  The centra of morphoseries IIB-2 share with hiodontids the presence of shallow neural arch articular pits and deep rib articular pits posterior to the paraphyses.
 -  Perithecia are always smaller than wild-type perithecia and a quarter of them contain only sterile paraphyses.
 -  Alternatively, the branchlets may represent inflated hairs, or paraphyses, as found on some phaeophyte sporophytes or rhodophyte tetrasporophytes.
 -  However, Neolecta lacks paraphyses, and the croziers do not develop until the ascus is formed.
 -  The ostiole is blocked by elongate sterile cells, known generically as paraphyses.
 
Origin
  
Mid 19th century: modern Latin, from Greek para- 'beside, subsidiary' + phusis 'growth'.