funguses

1 definition found

funguses - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  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. See fungi.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Med.) A spongy, morbid growth or granulation in animal
        bodies, as the proud flesh of wounds. --Hoblyn.
        [1913 Webster]