fungus
/ˈfʌŋgəs/noun
(pl. fungi /-dʒaɪ/ 或 funguses)
1- any of a group of unicellular, multicellular, or syncytial spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, including moulds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools真菌。
1.1
- mass noun fungal infection (especially on fish)（尤指鱼的）真菌感染。
1.2
- in sing. used to describe something that has appeared or grown rapidly and is considered unpleasant or unattractive迅速出现的令人讨厌的东西：
there was a fungus of outbuildings behind the house.
房子后面一下子冒出了一批附属建筑。
Fungi lack chlorophyll and are therefore incapable of photosynthesis. Many play an ecologically vital role in breaking down dead organic matter, some are an important source of antibiotics or are used in fermentation, and others cause disease. The familiar mushrooms and toadstools are merely the fruiting bodies of organisms that exist mainly as a thread-like mycelium in the soil. Some fungi form associations with other plants, growing with algae to form lichens, or in the roots of higher plants to form mycorrhizas. Fungi are now often classified as a separate kingdom distinct from the green plants.
词源
late Middle English: from Latin, perhaps from Greek spongos （see SPONGE）.