puffball

[puhf-bawl]

noun

1. any of various basidiomycetous fungi, especially of the genus Lycoperdon and allied genera, characterized by a ball-like fruit body that emits a cloud of spores when broken.

puffball

/ ˈpʌfˌbɔːl /

noun

1. any of various basidiomycetous saprotrophic fungi of the genera Calvatia and Lycoperdon, having a round fruiting body that discharges a cloud of brown spores when mature

Word History and Origins

Origin of puffball¹

First recorded in 1640–50; puff + ball ¹

Example Sentences

"A giant puffball is the most easily recognisable 'forageable' mushroom," she said.

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For example, information about mushrooms known as puffballs was “more or less correct,” she said, but Google’s overview emphasized looking for those with solid white flesh — which many potentially deadly puffball mimics also have.

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“Kirby is a lot like me,” he said while reviewing the pink puffball’s latest adventure.

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Death cap mushrooms, for example, have been spreading throughout the western U.S. and look similar to the common puffball.

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It might run through your head as a young girl spreads jam on a piece of bread, or as a multitude of floating, smiling white puffballs, known as warawara, levitate blissfully skyward.

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