FUN'GUS, noun [Latin] 1. A mushroom, vulgarly called a toadstool. The Fungi constitute an order of plants of a peculiar organization and manner of growth. The word is also applied to excrescences on plants. 2. A spungy excrescence in animal bodies as proud flesh formed in wounds. The term is particularly applied to any morbid excrescence, whether in wounds or arising spontaneously.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI