puffball

American  

[puhf-bawl] / ˈpʌfˌbɔl /

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.

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puffball British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of puffball

First recorded in 1640–50; puff + ball ¹

Example Sentences

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.

From Seattle Times • May 31, 2024

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

From National Geographic • Feb. 14, 2024

It could also be a puffball delivered underhanded that plops just beyond the net.

From Washington Post • Aug. 3, 2022

Kidman plumped for a grey strapless gown with a train and an eye-catching puffball waist.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2022

But my grandfather’s Third Wife was black with hair so soft that it would not hang, instead blowing up into a great brown puffball.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston