death cap

American  

[deth kap] / ˈdɛθ ˌkæp /

noun

1. a deadly poisonous mushroom of the genus Amanita, especially A. phalloides, with a distinctive membranous cup around the base of the stalk. Death caps resemble a number of edible mushrooms and are responsible for more deaths than any other species of mushroom.

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death cap British  

noun

1. a poisonous woodland saprotrophic basidiomycetous fungus, Amanita phalloides, differing from the edible mushroom ( Agaricus ) only in its white gills (pinkish-brown in Agaricus ) and the presence of a volva See also amanita

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Etymology

Origin of death cap

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

The death cap is the world’s most poisonous mushroom, responsible for 90% of mushroom-related fatalities.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

People who have accidentally consumed the death cap were usually foraging for mushrooms in the wilderness, either alone or with a group, officials say.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

The death cap mushroom has a dome-shape smooth cap with olive or yellowish-green tones.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

It was one of two locations where death cap mushrooms were sighted and posted on iNaturalist, a citizen science website.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2025

Akin to the preparation of one’s coffin, and storing it in one’s domicil, for years perhaps, is the preparation of one’s shroud, and death cap, and all the et cætera of laying out.

From Dealings with the Dead, Volume I (of 2) by School, A Sexton of the Old