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.
&fist; 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 hyphæ; the aggregation of hyphæ 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.
Hear it pronounced