See Also: Griddled mushroom and bacon stacks with mushroom ketchup(recipes)
mushroom(encyclopedia)
mushroom(2)(dictionary)
mushroom(1)(dictionary)
Mushroom(medicine)
Walnut and mushroom pie(recipes)
Warm Mushroom Dip(recipes)
Mushroom Sauce(recipes)
Mushroom Bruschetta(recipes)
Three Mushroom Ratatouille(recipes)

mushroom(1) (iou)



mushroom noun & adjective. Also mushrump. LME.
[Old & mod. French MOUSSERON from late Latin mussirio(n-).]
A. noun.
Orig., any fungus having a fleshy fruiting body, usu. rounded or caplike, on a stalk growing from the ground, freq. regarded as the type of rapid growth. Now usu., either of two edible agarics, Agaricus campestris (in full field mushroom), and A. bisporus, which is cultivated for eating; gen. any (esp. edible) fungus resembling these in general appearance. Cf. TOADSTOOL noun 1. LME.
horse mushroom, parasol mushroom, St George's mushroom, etc.
fig. A person or family that has suddenly sprung into notice; an upstart; a city, an institution, etc., that is of sudden growth. L16.
C. Marlowe A night growne mushrump, Such a one as my Lord of Cornewall is. Twentieth Century The radio industry, as much a mushroom as any ingredient of the Industrial Revolution. S. Brett He was one of those showbiz mushrooms who spring up overnight.
b. A contemptible person. L16-M18.
transf. A thing shaped like a mushroom; spec. (a) arch. slang an umbrella; (b) arch. colloq. = mushroom hat below; (c) Architecture a reinforced concrete pillar broadening out towards the top, with reinforcing rods passing into a slab forming part of the floor above; (d) a cloud (of smoke, fire, etc.) that spreads upwards and outwards; (e) a mushroom-shaped implement over which material is stretched in darning, embroidery, etc. E18.
A pale pinkish- or greyish-brown colour resembling that of a mushroom. L19.
b. attrib. or as adjective. Resembling a mushroom; spec. (a) of rapid growth; of short duration; arch. upstart; (b) mushroom-coloured, pale pinkish- or greyish-brown. L16.
Special collocations & comb.: mushroom anchor an anchor having a saucer-shaped head on a central shaft. mushroom city: that has sprung up rapidly. mushroom cloud a cloud of smoke shaped like a mushroom, spec. such as forms above a nuclear explosion. mushroom colour = sense A.4 above. mushroom-coloured adjective of mushroom colour. mushroom-coral any of various stony corals which resemble mushrooms or other fungi. mushroom-faker arch. slang an itinerant umbrella-mender. mushroom growth rapid growth like that of a mushroom; a thing that has grown up rapidly. mushroom hat a low-crowned circular hat, esp. such a lady's hat with a down-curving brim. mushroom loaf: see LOAF noun1. mushroom-ring a fairy-ring. mushroom spawn colloq. the mycelium of a mushroom. mushroom-stone a (fossil) mushroom-coral. mushroom town: that has sprung up rapidly. mushroom valve a lift valve whose moving element somewhat resembles a mushroom in shape.
mushroomy adjective (colloq.) resembling a mushroom M19.