Mushroom
Pronunciation
- GenAm IPA: /ˈmʌʃˌruËm/
- Hyphenation: mush + room
- Rhymes: -uËm
Origin
From Middle English musheron, musseron, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French mousseron, from Medieval Latin mussiriÅnem, musariÅnem, accusative of mussiriÅ, musariÅ ("mushroom"), of origin: French mousse ("moss") (—first applied to a type of fungus which grows in moss), from Low Frankish *mosa ("moss") or Old Dutch mosa "moss", akin to Old High German mos ("moss, bog"), Old High German mios ("moss, mire"),
Old English mÄ“os ("moss"), Old English mÅs ("bog, marsh"), Old Norse mosi ("moss"), Old Norse myrr ("bog, mire"), from Proto-Germanic *musÄ…, *musô, *miuziz ("mosses, bog"), from Proto-Indo-European *meus- ("mosses, mold, mildew"). Replaced native swamm ("mushroom") from Old English. More at mire
Full definition of mushroom
Noun
mushroom
(plural mushrooms)- Any of the fleshy fruiting bodies of fungi typically produced above ground on soil or on their food sources (such as decaying wood).Some mushrooms are edible and taste good, while others are poisonous and taste foul.
- A fungus producing such fruiting bodies.
- champignon or Agaricus bisporus, the mushroom species most commonly used in cooking.
- One of the mushroom-shaped pegs in bar billiards.
- (obsolete, figurative) One who rises suddenly from a low condition in life; an upstart.
- Something that grows very quickly or seems to appear suddenly.
Synonyms
- (something appearing suddenly) shroom
Derived terms
Adjective
mushroom
- Having characteristics like those of a mushroom, for example in shape or appearance, speed of growth, or texture.mushroom cloud