Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Agaric"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Agaric \Ag"a*ric\ (?; 277), n. [L. agaricum, Gr. ?, said to be
fr. Agara, a town in Sarmatia.]
1. (Bot.) A fungus of the genus {Agaricus}, of many species,
of which the common mushroom is an example.
2. An old name for several species of {Polyporus}, corky
fungi growing on decaying wood.
Note: The ``female agaric'' ({Polyporus officinalis}) was
renowned as a cathartic; the ``male agaric''
({Polyporus igniarius}) is used for preparing
touchwood, called punk or German tinder.
{Agaric mineral}, a light, chalky deposit of carbonate of
lime, sometimes called {rock milk}, formed in caverns or
fissures of limestone.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
agaric
n 1: fungus used in the preparation of punk for fuses [syn: {Fomes
igniarius}]
2: a saprophytic fungus of the order Agaricales having an
umbrellalike cap with gills on the underside
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