An organism or agent that applies pressure or force, particularly in biological contexts where one organism presses against another.
From Latin 'appressus', past participle of 'apprimere' (to press against), combining 'ad-' (to) + 'premere' (to press). The '-or' suffix indicates an agent that performs the action.
In plant pathology, appressors are specialized structures fungi develop to break into plants—they're like tiny biological battering rams that fungi use to invade their hosts. This shows how evolution creates incredibly specific tools for specific jobs.
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