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Any of various pathogenic fungi of the genus Fusarium, chiefly inhabiting temperate climates and infecting both plants and animals. In humans, infection may cause inflammation of the cornea and external ear.
[New LatinFūsārium, genus name (coined by German naturalist Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link (1767-1851) in reference to the typical spindle shape of its conidia) : Latinfūsus, spindle (of unknown origin) + Latin-ārium, neuter of-ārius, adjective suffix.]
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:
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.