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fruiting body
noun
plural fruiting bodies
: a structure (as of a moss or liverwort) specialized for producing spores
especially
: the spore-producing organ of a fungus or slime mold : sporophore
Examples of fruiting body in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After 6 to 12 months or so, the fruiting bodies (the mushrooms) begin to appear on the surface of the logs, first as rounded buttons.
—Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 July 2024
Invigorated by the damp, fungi living quietly in the soil sprout fruiting bodies.
—Rachel Bujalski Veronique Greenwood, New York Times, 11 June 2024
Technically not mushrooms, which have a cap and stalk, the fruiting bodies are blob- to cup-shaped, while the fungus itself lives hidden underground.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 22 May 2024
Some of these organisms, living as a network of threads hidden in the soil, may not have sent up a fruiting body in years.
—Rachel Bujalski Veronique Greenwood, New York Times, 11 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for fruiting body
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Word History
First Known Use
1887, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near fruiting body
Cite this Entry
“Fruiting body.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fruiting%20body. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
fruiting body
noun
: a plant organ specialized for producing spores
Medical Definition
fruiting body
noun
fruit·ing body
ˈfrüt-iŋ-
: a plant organ specialized for producing spores
especially
: sporophore
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