Lichenise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To become overgrown or coated with lichen, the crusty fungal and algal growth found on rocks, bark and soil
2. To form a lichen partnership or be colonized by the fungus and alga that together make up this organism
3. Turning a surface into a home for lichen growth, as when a fungus and alga settle and grow together on stone or wood

Etymology: "Lichenise" is the British spelling of "lichenize," and it is built from two parts that each have their own history. The first, "lichen," comes from Latin "lichen," itself borrowed from Greek "leichēn," a word for the crusty growths that spread over rocks and tree bark. The second part, "-ize," is a suffix that turns a noun into a verb meaning to make or to treat with something, as in "fossilize" or "sterilize." Put together, the verb describes coating a surface with lichen, or the lichen itself spreading over it. Because the suffix is productive and the base is an ordinary English noun, the formation is straightforward, and there is no special story behind the word beyond the two parts it combines.