mushroom
verb
- to grow very rapidly, as mushrooms after rain
noun
- part of a fungus
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈmʌʃˌɹuːm/ / /-ˌɹʊm/ / /-ˌɹəm/
adj
Etymology: From Middle English muscheron, musseron, from Anglo-Norman musherum, moscheron, from Old French moisseron, of obscure origin: probably derived from Old French mosse, moise ("moss"; whence also French mousse), as the use first applied to a type of fungus which grows in moss, from Frankish *mosu (“moss”) or Old Dutch *mosa (“moss”), akin to Old High German mosa (“moor, swamp”), Old High German mos (“moss, bog”), Old High German mios (“moss, mire”), Old English mēos (“moss”), Old English mōs (“bog, marsh”), Old Norse mosi (“moss”), Old Norse myrr (“bog, mire”), from Proto-Germanic *musą, *musô, *miuziz (“mosses, bog”), from Proto-Indo-European *mews- (“mosses, mold, mildew”). Displaced native Old English swamm. More at mire. Alternatively, the Old French may be of pre-Roman origin. See Ancient Greek μύκης (múkēs, “mushroom”). Doublet of moss and mousse.
- Having characteristics like those of a mushroom, for example in shape or appearance, speed of growth, or texture.
“mushroom cloud”
noun
Etymology: From Middle English muscheron, musseron, from Anglo-Norman musherum, moscheron, from Old French moisseron, of obscure origin: probably derived from Old French mosse, moise ("moss"; whence also French mousse), as the use first applied to a type of fungus which grows in moss, from Frankish *mosu (“moss”) or Old Dutch *mosa (“moss”), akin to Old High German mosa (“moor, swamp”), Old High German mos (“moss, bog”), Old High German mios (“moss, mire”), Old English mēos (“moss”), Old English mōs (“bog, marsh”), Old Norse mosi (“moss”), Old Norse myrr (“bog, mire”), from Proto-Germanic *musą, *musô, *miuziz (“mosses, bog”), from Proto-Indo-European *mews- (“mosses, mold, mildew”). Displaced native Old English swamm. More at mire. Alternatively, the Old French may be of pre-Roman origin. See Ancient Greek μύκης (múkēs, “mushroom”). Doublet of moss and mousse.
- 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 whereas others are poisonous, and sometimes they are difficult to tell apart.”
“Arabs consider the eating of mushrooms as an aphrodisiac aid.”
- A fungus producing such fruiting bodies.
- Champignon or Agaricus bisporus, the mushroom species most commonly used in cooking.
- Any of the mushroom-shaped pegs in bar billiards.
- A concrete column with a thickened portion at the top, used to support a slab.
- One who rises suddenly from a low condition in life; an upstart.
“upstarts […]call in reproach mushrooms”
- Something that grows very quickly or seems to appear suddenly.
“The craze [hula hoops] began in the U.S.A., and in October the boom crossed the Atlantic and 40 firms sprang into being, some being overnight mushrooms.”
- Ellipsis of mushroom cloud.
verb
Etymology: From Middle English muscheron, musseron, from Anglo-Norman musherum, moscheron, from Old French moisseron, of obscure origin: probably derived from Old French mosse, moise ("moss"; whence also French mousse), as the use first applied to a type of fungus which grows in moss, from Frankish *mosu (“moss”) or Old Dutch *mosa (“moss”), akin to Old High German mosa (“moor, swamp”), Old High German mos (“moss, bog”), Old High German mios (“moss, mire”), Old English mēos (“moss”), Old English mōs (“bog, marsh”), Old Norse mosi (“moss”), Old Norse myrr (“bog, mire”), from Proto-Germanic *musą, *musô, *miuziz (“mosses, bog”), from Proto-Indo-European *mews- (“mosses, mold, mildew”). Displaced native Old English swamm. More at mire. Alternatively, the Old French may be of pre-Roman origin. See Ancient Greek μύκης (múkēs, “mushroom”). Doublet of moss and mousse.
- To grow quickly to a large size or rapidly increase in scope or scale.
“The town’s population mushroomed from 10,000 to 110,000 in five years.”
“In Beilu Village of Liucun Town in Yaodu District, Linfen, abnormal illnesses continued to emerge, as a result of clusters of highly-polluting enterprises mushrooming in the vicinity.”
- To gather mushrooms.
“We used to go mushrooming in the forest every weekend.”
- To form the shape of a mushroom.
“Excessive spot weld time may cause the electrode tips to mushroom, resulting in no focus of current and a weak weld.”
- To form the shape of a mushroom.