1
: the black or dark purple sclerotium of fungi (genus Claviceps) that occurs as a club-shaped body replacing the seed of a grass (such as rye)
also
: a fungus bearing ergots
2
: a disease of rye and other cereals caused by an ergot fungus
3
a
: the dried sclerotia of an ergot fungus grown on rye and containing several alkaloids (such as ergonovine and ergotamine)
b
: any of such alkaloids used medicinally for their contractile effect on smooth muscle (as of the uterus or blood vessels)
Examples of ergot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered LSD, in 1938, suspected that the recipe included ergot, the fungus on which his discovery was based.
—
Michael Pollan, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Experts in the 1970s to 1990s believed that the erratic behavior was caused by ergot poisoning, which would have come from ingesting bread made from moldy rye.
—Kay Johnson, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2024
Until as recently as the 1950s, locals ate loaves contaminated by a rye fungus called ergot, the base ingredient of LSD.
—Oscar Holland, CNN, 22 Jan. 2025
Your doc might also recommend ergot derivatives, which bind to serotonin receptors and reduce pain signaling in the brain.
—Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 11 Mar. 2024
First synthesized by Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann in 1938, LSD is derived from ergot, a fungus that infects grain.
—Robert Johnson, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2023
He has been absolutely poisoned by allopathic medicine, and has gangrene in his leg caused by having taken shockingly large doses of rye ergot.
—Colin B. Bailey, The New York Review of Books, 17 Nov. 2020
Carolyn Young, an associate professor at Noble Research Institute, has been studying ergot and related fungi for many years.
—Troy Farah, Discover Magazine, 16 Oct. 2018
The summer had been dry and the area experienced a drought, which wasn’t hospitable for ergot growth; the villagers soon began ingesting a new, fungus-free grain store.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 12 Oct. 2021
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Michael Pollan, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Experts in the 1970s to 1990s believed that the erratic behavior was caused by ergot poisoning, which would have come from ingesting bread made from moldy rye.
—Kay Johnson, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2024
Until as recently as the 1950s, locals ate loaves contaminated by a rye fungus called ergot, the base ingredient of LSD.
—Oscar Holland, CNN, 22 Jan. 2025
Your doc might also recommend ergot derivatives, which bind to serotonin receptors and reduce pain signaling in the brain.
—Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 11 Mar. 2024
First synthesized by Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann in 1938, LSD is derived from ergot, a fungus that infects grain.
—Robert Johnson, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2023
He has been absolutely poisoned by allopathic medicine, and has gangrene in his leg caused by having taken shockingly large doses of rye ergot.
—Colin B. Bailey, The New York Review of Books, 17 Nov. 2020
Carolyn Young, an associate professor at Noble Research Institute, has been studying ergot and related fungi for many years.
—Troy Farah, Discover Magazine, 16 Oct. 2018
The summer had been dry and the area experienced a drought, which wasn’t hospitable for ergot growth; the villagers soon began ingesting a new, fungus-free grain store.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 12 Oct. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Ergot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ergot. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
1
a
: the black or dark purple sclerotium of fungi of the genus Claviceps that occurs as a club-shaped body which replaces the seed of various grasses (as rye)
b
: any fungus of the genus Claviceps
2
3
a
: the dried sclerotial bodies of an ergot fungus grown on rye and containing several ergot alkaloids
b
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