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 and or blood vessels)
Examples of ergot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Jackson sent a prescription for ergot and rye, a potion used at the time to induce miscarriages, to her home in Greencastle, Indiana, about 150 miles northwest of Louisville.
—Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, 4 May 2022
Further, the author notes a weather period at the time that would have been conducive to the production of a lot of ergot on rye grown in the area’s lowlands.
—Popular Science, 11 Mar. 2020
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
Jackson sent a prescription for ergot and rye, a potion used at the time to induce miscarriages, to her home in Greencastle, Indiana, about 150 miles northwest of Louisville.
—Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, 4 May 2022
Further, the author notes a weather period at the time that would have been conducive to the production of a lot of ergot on rye grown in the area’s lowlands.
—Popular Science, 11 Mar. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ergot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ergot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ergot. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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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