Nearby Words

funguses

[fuhng-guhs] Origin

fun·gus

[fuhng-guhs] noun, plural fun·gi [fuhn-jahy, fuhng-gahy] , fun·gus·es, adjective
noun
1.
any of a diverse group of eukaryotic single-celled or multinucleate organisms that live by decomposing and absorbing the organic material in which they grow, comprising the mushrooms, molds, mildews, smuts, rusts, and yeasts, and classified in the kingdom Fungi or, in some classification systems, in the division Fungi (Thallophyta) of the kingdom Plantae.
2.
Pathology. a spongy, abnormal growth, as granulation tissue formed in a wound.
adjective

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Funguses is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

Origin:
1520–30; < Latin: fungus, mushroom; perhaps akin to Greek spóngos, sphóngos sponge

fun·gic [fuhn-jik] , adjective
fun·gus·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

fungus
1520s, from L. fungus, learned alternative to mushroom. (Though funge was used in this sense late 14c.). The Latin word is believed to be cognate with (or derived from) Gk. sphongos, the Attic form of spongos "sponge" (see sponge).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

fungus fun·gus (fŭng'gəs)
n. pl. fun·gus·es or fun·gi (fŭn'jī, fŭng'gī)
Any of numerous eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Fungi, which lack chlorophyll and vascular tissue and range in form from a single cell to a body mass of branched filamentous hyphae that often produce specialized fruiting bodies.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
fungus   (fŭng'gəs)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural fungi (fŭn'jī, fŭng'gī)
Any of a wide variety of organisms that reproduce by spores, including the mushrooms, molds, yeasts, and mildews. The spores of most fungi grow a network of slender tubes called hyphae that spread into and feed off of dead organic matter or living organisms. Fungi absorb food by excreting enzymes that break down complex substances into molecules that can be absorbed into the hyphae. The hyphae also produce reproductive structures, such as mushrooms and other growths. Some fungi (called perfect fungi) can reproduce by both sexually produced spores and asexual spores; other fungi (called imperfect fungi or deuteromycetes) are thought to have lost their sexual stage and can only reproduce by asexual spores. Fungi can live in a wide variety of environments, and fungal spores can survive extreme temperatures. Fungi exist in over 100,000 species, nearly all of which live on land. They can be extremely destructive, feeding on almost any kind of material and causing food spoilage and many plant diseases. Although fungi were once grouped with plants, they are now considered a separate kingdom in taxonomy. See Table at taxonomy.

fungal adjective
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary

(face) fungus definition


  1. n.
    whiskers; a beard. : If John would shave off that face fungus, he'd look a lot better.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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