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ag·a·ric

(ăgər-ĭk, ə-gărĭk)

1. Any of numerous mushrooms having an umbrellalike cap with gills beneath, chiefly belonging to the order Agaricales.

2. The dried fruiting body of certain fungal species in the genus Fomes, formerly used in medicine, especially to inhibit the production of sweat.

[Middle English agarik, a kind of fungus, from Latin agaricum, from Greek agarikon, from Agariā, a town in Sarmatia.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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