adjective
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appearing suddenly and spreading quickly like a fungus, but not lasting
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a less common word for fungal
Etymology
Origin of fungous
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin fungōsus “fungous, spongy”; see fungus, -ous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His treatment of the humid cellar, full of unexplained vapors and “white fungous growths,” cues immediate recognition and revulsion.
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2015
It is only when morbid deposits and chemical agencies overcome the integrity or vital affinity of the vegetable that fungous growth commences.
From The American Reformed Cattle Doctor by Dadd, George
The quantity of fungous growth this year is quite remarkable.
From Wood and Garden Notes and thoughts, practical and critical, of a working amateur by Jekyll, Gertrude
Perishable as stubble, and fungous as the fungi, those grafted families successively live and die on the eternal soil of a name.
From Pierre; or The Ambiguities by Melville, Herman
One merit has recently been discovered in this lumber, that formerly blackened before it was seasoned, by the invasion of a fungous growth.
From Trees Worth Knowing by Rogers, Julia Ellen
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.
