Main Entry:

my·ce·li·um

Pronunciation:

\mī-ˈsē-lē-əm\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural -lia \-lē-ə\

Etymology:

New Latin, from myc- + Greek hēlos nail, wart, callus

Date:

1836

: the mass of interwoven filamentous hyphae that forms especially the vegetative portion of the thallus of a fungus and is often submerged in another body (as of soil or organic matter or the tissues of a host) ; also : a similar mass of filaments formed by some bacteria (as streptomyces)

— my·ce·li·al \-əl\ adjective