ˈtȯr(y)ələ, ˈtär- noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin torus protuberance, bulge, cushion + -ula — more at torus
1. plural toru·lae -ˌlē, -ˌlī also torulas
a. : any of various yeasts or yeastlike fungi that lack sexual spores, do not produce alcoholic fermentations, and are typically acid formers
b. : cryptococcosis
2. capitalized
a. : a form genus of usually dark colored chiefly saprophytic imperfect fungi (family Dematiaceae) with hyphae that develop numerous crosswalls and are converted into chains of conidia — see black yeast
b. in some classifications : a genus of yeasts including pathogens usually placed in the genus Cryptococcus and various others (as the food yeast T. utilis ) that are sometimes segregated in the genus Torulopsis