1665–75; < French, Middle French morille, perhaps < Vulgar Latin *maurīcula, derivative of Medieval Latin maurus brown, dark-colored; see morel 2, -cule 1
1350–1400; Middle English morel ( l ) e < Anglo-French < Medieval Latin maurella, equivalent to maur ( us ) brown, dark-colored (adj. use of Latin Maurus Moor ) + -ella -elle
A morel is a delicious, but strange-looking, mushroom. These fungi are considered delicacies, and you're most likely to find morels on the menu of a very fancy restaurant. There are several varieties of these distinctive mushrooms, which have pitted or honeycombed caps, though there's disagreement about which can be considered true morels. The most sought-after of these tasty fungi grow wild in forests across the Northern Hemisphere, although they're also cultivated as part of a multimillion-dollar industry. French restaurants and gourmet cooks pay over 20 dollars per pound for morels. A possible source of morel, and the French morille, is a Germanic word meaning "root."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
According to Outdoor Life, morel season kicks off in March, ending early in the South but stretching into June in the Midwest and Northeast.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2025
And like the community’s morel mushrooms that seem to grow well over shallow, hastily dug graves, there’s a sense of mulchy inevitability about it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025
Hollow is a good sign—that means the morel is safe to eat.
From National Geographic ● May 30, 2023
The homeliest dish on the menu — sepia-toned braised chicken — is among the best in part because of the swell of cream, morel mushrooms and vin jaune enveloping the tender chicken.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2023
As soon as Ben announced he’d spotted his first morel, I began looking down.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Morel said he felt it was important the next set of politicians continued to protect the national park.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
Responding to the review, Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said legislation was being drafted that would allow people to have harmful content removed.
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2025
“It’s not a grand conspiracy orchestrated by the system,” said Benjamin Morel, a professor of public law at Paris-Panthéon-Assas University.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
Messrs. Morel and White gather Douglass’s reflections on Lincoln—drawn from speeches, articles, letters and memoirs—to reveal a layered portrait of their relationship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
Feeling that they had been too hard on him, Morel traced Basil in Canada, wrote him a long letter, and enclosed a draft for a thousand pounds, as part of back allowances.
From Harding of Allenwood by Bindloss, Harold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
