Adjacent Words

Fungus definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FUN'GUS, n. [L.]
1. A mushroom, vulgarly called a toadstool. The Fungi constitute an order of plants of a peculiar organization and manner of growth. The word is also applied to excrescences on plants.
2. A spungy excrescence in animal bodies as proud flesh formed in wounds.
The term is particularly applied to any morbid excrescence, whether in wounds or arising spontaneously.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an organism of the kingdom Fungi lacking chlorophyll and feeding on organic matter; ranging from unicellular or multicellular organisms to spore-bearing syncytia

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural fungi; also funguses) Usage: often attributive Etymology: Latin Date: 1527 any of a kingdom (Fungi) of saprophytic and parasitic spore-producing eukaryotic typically filamentous organisms formerly classified as plants that lack chlorophyll and include molds, rusts, mildews, smuts, mushrooms, and yeasts

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. fungi or funguses) 1 any of a group of unicellular, multicellular, or multinucleate non-photosynthetic organisms feeding on organic matter, which include moulds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools. 2 anything similar usu. growing suddenly and rapidly. 3 Med. a spongy morbid growth. 4 sl. a beard. Derivatives: fungal adj. fungiform adj. fungivorous adj. Etymology: L, perh. f. Gk sp(h)oggos SPONGE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fungus Fun"gus, n.; pl. L. Fungi, E. Funguses. [L., a mushroom; perh. akin to a doubtful Gr. ? sponge, for ?;if so, cf. E. sponge.] 1. (Bot.) Any one of the Fungi, a large and very complex group of thallophytes of low organization, -- the molds, mildews, rusts, smuts, mushrooms, toadstools, puff balls, and the allies of each. Note: The fungi are all destitute of chorophyll, and, therefore, to be supplied with elaborated nourishment, must live as saprophytes or parasites. They range in size from single microscopic cells to systems of entangled threads many feet in extent, which develop reproductive bodies as large as a man's head. The vegetative system consists of septate or rarely unseptate filaments called hyph[ae]; the aggregation of hyph[ae] into structures of more or less definite form is known as the mycelium. See Fungi, in the Supplement. 2. (Med.) A spongy, morbid growth or granulation in animal bodies, as the proud flesh of wounds. --Hoblyn.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(fungi) A fungus is a plant that has no flowers, leaves, or green colouring, such as a mushroom or a toadstool. Other types of fungus such as mould are extremely small and look like a fine powder. N-MASS

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Spongy excrescence. 2. (Bot.) Species of cellular cryptogam or acotyledon.

Moby Thesaurus

adenovirus, aerobe, aerobic bacteria, amoeba, amphibian, anaerobe, anaerobic bacteria, angiosperm, annual, aquatic plant, bacillus, bacteria, bacterium, benign tumor, biennial, blast, blight, bread mold, bug, callosity, callus, cancer, canker, carcinoma, coccus, corn, cosmopolite, cutting, cyst, deciduous plant, dicot, dicotyledon, disease-producing microorganism, dry rot, echovirus, enterovirus, ephemeral, ergot, evergreen, excrescence, exotic, filterable virus, flowering plant, fungosity, gametophyte, germ, gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria, green mold, growth, gymnosperm, hydrophyte, intumescence, malignant growth, metastatic tumor, microbe, microorganism, mildew, mold, mole, monocot, monocotyl, morbid growth, moth, moth and rust, mushroom, must, neoplasm, nevus, nonfilterable virus, nonmalignant tumor, outgrowth, pathogen, perennial, pest, picornavirus, plant, polycot, polycotyl, polycotyledon, protozoa, protozoon, proud flesh, puffball, reovirus, rhinovirus, rickettsia, rot, rust, sarcoma, seed plant, seedling, slime mold, smut, spermatophyte, spirillum, spirochete, spore, sporophyte, staphylococcus, streptococcus, thallophyte, tinea, toadstool, triennial, truffle, trypanosome, tuckahoe, tumor, vascular plant, vegetable, verruca, verticillium, vibrio, virus, wart, water mold, weed, wen, worm, yeast