rye ergot

9.4

A hard dark clump of fungus on rye and other grain that can be poisonous if eaten

noun
/raɪ ˈɜrɡət/

Specialized

: ergot de centeno

Botanists collected samples of rye ergot from the infected grain fields for laboratory analysis.

Examples

Rye ergot can be toxic to humans if ground into flour and consumed in bread.
Historically, outbreaks of rye ergot poisoning led to severe health problems in rural communities.
Look at that rye ergot!
Farmers often find rye ergot in their fields.
Rye ergot can be toxic to humans if ground into flour and consumed in bread.
Farmers often find rye ergot in their fields, particularly during wet seasons.
Historically, outbreaks of rye ergot poisoning were devastating for rural communities.

Synonyms

ergot

vsrye ergot

Specialized

3 9.9

A fungus that grows on grains like rye and forms black masses that can poison people

refers to the hard compact fungal mass that forms on cereal grains

Surface Forms

rye ergot singular

rye ergots plural

Morphology

rye + ergot

This is a straightforward noun–noun composition: 'rye' names the cereal host and 'ergot' names the fungal mass, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it is the ergot that develops on rye. The meaning is compositional and follows regular modifier+head patterns found across languages, making it directly understandable from the parts.

Etymology

The noun rye ergot is named for the hard, dark lumps a fungus makes on rye grains; these lumps looked like small spurs or horns, and the word ergot may come from an old word for 'spur'. That's why rye ergot today means the poisonous fungus growth on rye that can get into flour and cause 'poisoning'.