ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fungi

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈfəndʒaɪ// UK //fˈʌŋɡi// fun·gi

n. living things like mushrooms, molds, and yeasts that grow on plants or old food. They are not plants because they do not make their own food from sunlight.

n. a kingdom of spore-producing organisms that feed on organic matter, including molds, yeast, and mushrooms. Distinct from plants, animals, and bacteria.


SIMPLE

Some fungi are safe to eat, but others are very poisonous.

CONTEXTUAL

The damp forest floor was covered in various types of fungi, ranging from tiny white caps to large orange brackets on the trees.

COMPLEX

While often overlooked, fungi play a critical role in the ecosystem by breaking down dead organic material and recycling nutrients back into the soil.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin fungī, from fungus + -ī (suffix forming the nominative or vocative plurals of most second-declension nouns ending in -us).

Etymology 2

See fungee. Sense 2 (“style of folk and popular music”) is apparently from the fact that the music is a blend of different musical instruments and styles, just as the dish (sense 1) is a blend of different flavours.

Usage

The plural form of 'fungus'; 'fungi' is the standard plural, though 'funguses' is occasionally used in non-scientific contexts.

Pitfall

This fungi is edibleThis fungus is edible'Fungi' is the plural form; use 'fungus' when referring to a single organism.

© 2026 English Reference