ˈaskəs noun
( plural as·ci ˈaˌsī, ˈaˌskē)
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek askos wineskin, bladder, belly; probably akin to Sanskrit atka garment
: the membranous oval or tubular spore sac in fungi of the class Ascomycetes that is produced either directly from the fertilized ascogonium or from ascogenous hyphae produced therefrom and that bears within it, following nuclear fusion, ascospores, typically eight in number — compare apothecium , ascocarp , perithecium