hy·me·ni·um \hīˈmēnēəm\noun (pluralhyme·nia \-nēə\ ; orhymeniums) Etymology: New Latin, from hymen- + -ium : a spore-bearing layer in fungi or their fruiting bodies (as apothecia or the sporophores of agarics) consisting of a group of asci or basidia often interspersed with paraphyses, setae, and other sterile structures