fungicide

American  

[fuhn-juh-sahyd, fuhng-guh-] / ˈfʌn dʒəˌsaɪd, ˈfʌŋ gə- /

noun

1. a substance or preparation, as a spray or dust, used for destroying fungi.

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fungicide British  

/ ˈfʌndʒɪˌsaɪd /

noun

1. a substance or agent that destroys or is capable of destroying fungi

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fungicide Scientific  

/ fŭn′jĭ-sīd′,fŭng′gĭ-sīd′ /

1. A pesticide used to kill fungi, especially those that cause disease. Streptomycin is a fungicide.

2. Compare herbicide insecticide rodenticide

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Other Word Forms

• fungicidal
  adjective
• fungicidally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of fungicide

First recorded in 1885–90; fungi- + -cide

Explanation

Any substance that's used to kill spores is a fungicide. If your beautiful roses are dying because mildew is attacking their leaves, you might need to spray them with a fungicide. The word fungicide is formed by taking fungus, "a mushroom" in Latin, and adding the suffix -cide, or "killer." So just like matricide means killing one's mother and pesticide means something that kills bugs, fungicide means something that kills fungi. Whether you have a fungus growing on your bathroom ceiling or your tomato plants, you probably need a fungicide to get rid of it.

Example Sentences

If it is too wet in the spring, he might have to spend more on other items such as fungicide.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

To understand how combinations affect nurse bees, the researchers tested their effect on the olfactory system of honey bees using the adjuvant Dyne-Amic, the fungicide Tilt, and the insecticide Altacor.

From Science Daily • Dec. 15, 2023

So far early results have revealed that women with evidence of fungicide exposure during pregnancy had infants with more respiratory infections and impaired neurodevelopment at age one.

From Scientific American • Sep. 22, 2023

This knowledge could let growers respond quickly with fungicide or stopping irrigation to slow or prevent a severe outbreak.

From Salon • May 31, 2023

Or can we use a nonspecific fungicide without also killing the fungi that inhabit the roots of many trees in a beneficial association that aids the tree in extracting nutrients from the soil?

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• defoliant
• insecticide
• pesticide