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.
