mycelium
noun
my·ce·li·um
mī-ˈsē-lē-əm 
plural mycelia
mī-ˈsē-lē-ə
: the mass of interwoven filamentous hyphae that forms especially the vegetative portion of the thallus of a fungus and is often submerged in another body (as of soil or organic matter or the tissues of a host)
also
: a similar mass of filaments formed by some bacteria (such as streptomyces)
Examples of mycelium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Edible mycelium bioengineered for enhanced nutritional value and sensory appeal using a modular synthetic biology toolkit
Bioresources and Bioprocessing.
—
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 14 May 2024
The answer is the web of mycelium (made up of long, underground structures of thread-like filaments called hyphae) that links fungal colonies with the soil, similar to how the nervous system connects things in our bodies.
—Popsci Staff, Popular Science, 8 May 2024
And taken together mycelium composes what is called the mycorrhizal network which connects plants together to share resources and communicate.
—Popsci Staff, Popular Science, 8 May 2024
The first European designer to use mycelium from mushrooms as an alternative to leather, Mertens has decorated two guest rooms above her workshop in the vibrant Green Quarter, not far from the De Koninck Brewery.
—Mary Winston Nicklin, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2024
Already, exciting innovations are using natural materials — such as processing residues, algae, and mycelium — to produce plastic alternatives.
—Danielle Nierenberg, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
The fight within the mushroom industry right now is over whether companies can define mycelium as mushrooms.
—Robert Johnson, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2023
In fact, they were made of compressed wood chips bound with a mixture of limestone and cement or with a fungus called mycelium.
—Saima May Sidik, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024
The clumps were mycelium, the root-like threads of fungi that grow underground and give rise to mushrooms.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 28 Nov. 2023
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 14 May 2024
The answer is the web of mycelium (made up of long, underground structures of thread-like filaments called hyphae) that links fungal colonies with the soil, similar to how the nervous system connects things in our bodies.
—Popsci Staff, Popular Science, 8 May 2024
And taken together mycelium composes what is called the mycorrhizal network which connects plants together to share resources and communicate.
—Popsci Staff, Popular Science, 8 May 2024
The first European designer to use mycelium from mushrooms as an alternative to leather, Mertens has decorated two guest rooms above her workshop in the vibrant Green Quarter, not far from the De Koninck Brewery.
—Mary Winston Nicklin, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2024
Already, exciting innovations are using natural materials — such as processing residues, algae, and mycelium — to produce plastic alternatives.
—Danielle Nierenberg, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
The fight within the mushroom industry right now is over whether companies can define mycelium as mushrooms.
—Robert Johnson, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2023
In fact, they were made of compressed wood chips bound with a mixture of limestone and cement or with a fungus called mycelium.
—Saima May Sidik, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024
The clumps were mycelium, the root-like threads of fungi that grow underground and give rise to mushrooms.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 28 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mycelium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mycelium
Cite this Entry
“Mycelium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mycelium. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mycelium
noun
my·ce·li·um
mī-ˈsē-lē-əm
plural mycelia
-lē-ə
: the part of the body of a fungus that does not reproduce and usually consists of a mass of hyphae that are often growing in something else (as soil, organic matter, or the tissues of a plant or animal host)
Medical Definition
mycelium
noun
my·ce·li·um
mī-ˈsē-lē-əm
plural mycelia
-lē-ə
: the mass of interwoven filamentous hyphae that forms especially the vegetative body of a fungus and is often submerged in another body (as of soil or organic matter or the tissues of a host)
also
: a similar mass of filaments formed by some bacteria (as of the genus Streptomyces)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share