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Where does the word "fungus" come from? It comes from Latin fungus, and was adopted directly into English (1520s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "fungus" come from? It comes from Latin fungus, and was adopted directly into English (1520s).
Fungus’s story begins in Latin: fungus meant “mushroom.” Possibly from Greek 'spongos', sponge. It reached English by 1520s as fungus. The plural 'fungi' keeps the Latin form. Today, fungus means a spore-producing organism such as a mushroom.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient fungus "mushroom", possibly from Greek 'spongos', sponge.
- Stage 2 · English · 1520s fungus "mushroom", the plural 'fungi' keeps the Latin form.