Fungi

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]