Word.ws English Dictionary

fungus comb

fungus comb noun: a slurry of masticated or partially digested wood that termites create which is subsequently digested by white rot fungus to produce a byproduct that the termites can eat.

Noun

fungus comb (plural fungus combs)

  1. A slurry of masticated or partially digested wood that termites create which is subsequently digested by white rot fungus to produce a byproduct that the termites can eat.
    • This enzyme might be responsible for the degradation of phenolics in the fungus comb.2006, Helmut König, Ajit Varma, Intestinal Microorganisms of Termites and Other Invertebrates, page 346
    • The sexual stage of the fungus, the basidiocarp, arises as a pseudorhiza from a fungus comb and continues as a stipe, terminating in a cap with a prominent umbo or perforatorium.2012, Bozzano G Luisa, Insect-Fungus Interactions, page 74

Examples of fungus comb in a sentence

  • Fungus comb also serves as food source, especially in adverse climatic conditions or when food is scarce.2018, Omkar, Pests and Their Management, page 928:
  • The termites chew wood into a slurry which they regugitate in fungal gardens, known as the 'fungus comb', by contrast with bees' honeycomb.2020, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, page 211:

Forms of fungus comb

pluralfungus combs

Origin of fungus comb

Blend of fungus + honeycomb.

Questions about fungus comb

What does fungus comb mean?
Fungus comb means a slurry of masticated or partially digested wood that termites create which is subsequently digested by white rot fungus to produce a byproduct that the termites can eat.
How do you use fungus comb in a sentence?
Fungus comb also serves as food source, especially in adverse climatic conditions or when food is scarce.
What part of speech is fungus comb?
Fungus comb is a noun.
What is the plural of fungus comb?
The plural of fungus comb is fungus combs.

Words near fungus comb in the dictionary

  1. fungs
  2. funguria
  3. fungus
  4. fungus beetle
  5. fungus beetles
  6. fungus comb
  7. fungus combs
  8. fungus gamboge
  9. fungus garden
  10. fungus gardens
  11. fungus gnat

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: fungus comb (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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