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Glite Dictionary
devil's cigar

devil's cigar

9.9
A rare fungus with a cigar-shaped body that splits open to release spores
  • noun
  • /ˈdɛvəlz saɪˈɡɑr/
  • US
translation icon : cigarro del diablo
  • The rare devil's cigar is found only in Texas and parts of Japan.

Examples

  • The unique splitting sound of the devil's cigar when it opens earned it its name.

  • Mycologists were excited to discover a devil's cigar near the riverbank last spring.

  • The devil's cigar is a fascinating fungus.

  • Have you ever seen a devil's cigar mushroom?

  • The rare devil's cigar is found only in Texas and parts of Japan.

  • Mycologists were excited to discover a devil's cigar near the riverbank last spring.

  • The unique splitting sound of the devil's cigar when it opens earned it its name.

Surface Forms

devil's cigar singular
devil's cigars plural

Morphology

devil's + cigar

The constituents 'devil's' and 'cigar' transparently signal an ominous or metaphorical cigar-shaped object, so a learner could infer shape and connotation. However, they would not be able to derive that the referent is a specific, rare fungus (Chorioactis geaster) or its biological behavior, making the full meaning unpredictable without exposure.

Etymology

Devil's cigar may come from the fungus's dark, cigar-shaped body and the way it suddenly splits open with a loud crack to send out its tiny spores. That's why the name now means 'a rare fungus' that looks like a cigar and bursts open to release spores.