dog stinkhorn
- noun
- Specialized
:
mutinus caninus
- The dog stinkhorn is known for its unpleasant odor, which attracts flies to aid in spore dispersal.
Examples
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Botanists discovered several dog stinkhorns growing in the damp woodland after the rain.
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Children were curious about the strange appearance of the dog stinkhorn in their backyard.
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The dog stinkhorn emits a strong odor.
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Many dog stinkhorns grow in damp areas.
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Botanists discovered several dog stinkhorns growing in the damp woodland after the rain.
-
Children were curious about the strange appearance of the dog stinkhorn in their backyard.
-
The dog stinkhorn is known for its unpleasant odor, which attracts flies to aid in spore dispersal.
Synonyms
A fungus with a long thin stalk and a smelly slimy tip that attracts insects
A smelly mushroom that attracts insects
Surface Forms
Morphology
dog + stinkhorn
The compound is compositional: 'stinkhorn' denotes a smelly fungus and 'dog' functions as a modifier identifying a subtype, so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a kind of stinkhorn associated with or named after dogs. This noun‑noun naming pattern is common cross‑linguistically, so although the precise anatomical details in the dictionary definition cannot be predicted, the overall meaning 'a type of stinkhorn fungus' is transparently derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Dog stinkhorn probably gets its name from the fungus's horn-like stalk and a very smelly, slimy top that smells like rotting meat or a 'wet dog' and attracts flies. That's why the name links dog for the smell and stinkhorn for the horn shape and the bad smell.
