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Glite Dictionary
true puffball

true puffball

9.3
A round mushroom that releases a cloud of spores when you touch it
  • noun
  • /truː ˈpʌfˌbɔl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : puffball verdadero
  • When mature, a true puffball releases spores in a visible cloud if stepped on.

Examples

  • The children found a large true puffball while walking through the meadow.

  • The true puffball is often found in grassy areas.

  • Many nature enthusiasts enjoy observing the unique dispersal of spores by the true puffball.

  • Have you ever seen a true puffball in the wild?

  • While hiking in the forest, we discovered a round true puffball that released a cloud of spores when touched.

  • The true puffball is easily recognized by its round shape and the way it bursts to spread spores.

  • During their science project, the students learned that the true puffball naturally emits spores as it matures.

Synonyms

puffball
vstrue puffball
4 7.9

A round mushroom that releases a cloud of spores when mature

is limited to fungi of the Lycoperdaceae family excluding hard-skinned lookalikes
puffball mushroom
vstrue puffball
5.5

A round wild mushroom that releases a cloud of tiny spores when touched

is restricted to the single Lycoperdaceae family not general field fungi

Surface Forms

true puffball singular
true puffballs plural

Morphology

true + puffball

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'puffball' names the fungus and 'true' simply marks it as a genuine/specific kind, so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes an actual puffball fungus. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift here and the adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically regular, making the meaning predictable from the parts.

Etymology

The name true puffball comes from what the fungus looks like and does. The round fungus is like a soft ball that, when ripe, makes a quick puff of 'spores', a cloud of dust if you touch or step on it, so the name helps you picture how it releases its 'spores'.