[muhsh-room, -roo
m] 
| 1. | any of various fleshy fungi including the toadstools, puffballs, coral fungi, morels, etc. |
| 2. | any of several edible species, esp. of the family Agaricaceae, as Agaricus campestris (meadow mushroom or field mushroom), cultivated for food in the U.S. |
| 3. | anything of similar shape or correspondingly rapid growth. |
| 4. | a large, mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke or rubble, formed in the atmosphere as a result of an explosion, esp. a nuclear explosion. |
| 5. | of, consisting of, or containing mushrooms: a mushroom omelet. |
| 6. | resembling a mushroom in shape or form. |
| 7. | of rapid growth and often brief duration: mushroom towns of the gold-rush days. |
| 8. | to spread, grow, or develop quickly. |
| 9. | to gather mushrooms. |
| 10. | to have or assume the shape of a mushroom. |
mushroom (mŭsh'r m') Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) Any of various basidiomycete fungi whose mycelium produces a spore-dispersing body (called a basidioma) that usually consists of a stalk topped by a fleshy, often umbrella-shaped cap. Some species of mushrooms are edible, though many are poisonous. The term mushroom is often applied to the stalk and cap alone. See more at basidiomycete. |