\Fun"gus\, n.; pl. L. {Fungi}, E. {Funguses}. [L., a
mushroom; perh. akin to a doubtful Gr. ? sponge, for ?;if so,
cf. E. sponge.]
1. (Bot.) Any one of the Fungi, a large and very complex
   group of thallophytes of low organization, -- the molds,
   mildews, rusts, smuts, mushrooms, toadstools, puff balls,
   and the allies of each.
Note: The fungi are all destitute of chorophyll, and,
      therefore, to be supplied with elaborated nourishment,
      must live as saprophytes or parasites. They range in
      size from single microscopic cells to systems of
      entangled threads many feet in extent, which develop
      reproductive bodies as large as a man's head. The
      vegetative system consists of septate or rarely
      unseptate filaments called hyph[ae]; the aggregation of
      hyph[ae] into structures of more or less definite form
      is known as the mycelium. See Fungi, in the Supplement.
2. (Med.) A spongy, morbid growth or granulation in animal
   bodies, as the proud flesh of wounds. --Hoblyn.