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Fungus - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
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Fungus : (noun)
1: a parasitic plant lacking chlorophyll and leaves and true
stems and roots and reproducing by spores
Based on WordNet 2.0
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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.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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Fungus : Fungus: A single-celled or multicellular organism. Fungi can be true pathogens (such as dermatitis ). Fungi are also used for the development of antibiotics, antitoxins, and other drugs
used to control various human diseases.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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