bolete

noun

bo·​lete bō-ˈlēt How to pronounce bolete (audio)
: any of a family (Boletaceae) of fleshy stalked pore fungi that usually grow on the ground in wooded areas
especially : boletus

Examples of bolete in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The king bolete grows in deciduous and coniferous forests throughout the Northern Hemisphere, and in southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil, where it has been introduced. Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, 11 May 2023 In the Cascade Mountains, porcinis (aka king boletes) and matsutakes (aka pine mushroom) are poking up earlier than normal too. oregonlive.com, 11 Aug. 2019 Pick huckleberries on site for your breakfast pancakes, and hunt for dinner plate-sized king bolete (porcini) mushrooms for your stroganoff dinner. idahostatesman, 24 May 2016

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bolete.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin Boletus, a genus name (Linnaeus), going back to Latin bōlētus "mushroom," of obscure origin

Note: The word bōlētus is unknown before imperial Latin (the more general older word for a mushroom being fungus, first attested in Plautus). Greek bōlḗtēs, bōlítēs, attested even later (Athenaeus), is most likely a loan from Latin, with no connection to bôlos "lump, clod."

First Known Use

circa 1821, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bolete was circa 1821

Dictionary Entries Near bolete

Cite this Entry

“Bolete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolete. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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