mycelium
/maɪˈsi.li.əm/ noun
Forms mycelia
- noun The vegetative part of any fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, threadlike hyphae, often underground.
Etymology
From New Latin mycelium; synchronically, myc- + -el- + -ium, where the infix -el- is of unknown origin, perhaps introduced from a rebracketing of epithelium.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The white threads or filamentous growth from which a mushroom or fungus is developed; the so-called mushroom spawn.
Etymology [NL., fr. Gr. my`khs a mushroom.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mycelium”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details