puffball mushroom
- noun
- /ˈpʌfˌbɔl ˈmʌʃˌruːm/
- The children were fascinated when the puffball mushroom released a cloud of spores.
Examples
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It is best to identify a puffball mushroom carefully before considering it edible.
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Look at that puffball mushroom!
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We saw a large puffball mushroom growing near the old tree stump.
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The puffball mushrooms in the field are huge.
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In the damp forest, we discovered a large puffball mushroom that released a cloud of spores when we touched it.
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The children were fascinated by the round shape of the puffball mushroom they found while hiking in the woods.
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After the rain, a variety of fungi, including the puffball mushroom, started to appear in the grassy meadow.
Synonyms
A round mushroom that releases a cloud of spores when mature
A round mushroom that releases a cloud of spores when you touch it
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase names a subtype formed by combining two literal nouns: 'puffball' (a fungus that releases spores in a puff) and 'mushroom' (a fungus), so the overall meaning — a mushroom-like fungus that releases spores in a cloud — is directly derivable from the parts. This is a transparent noun–noun compound denoting a specific kind of fungus and follows straightforward compositional patterns that B1 learners who know the constituents can understand.
Etymology
Puffball mushroom links puff and ball: it is a round, ball-like mushroom that, when touched, sends out a cloud of 'spores' in a quick puff. So the name simply describes a round mushroom that releases a puff of 'spores' when disturbed.