fruiting body

noun

plural fruiting bodies

: a structure (as of a moss or liverwort) specialized for producing spores

especially : the spore-producing organ of a fungus or slime mold : sporophore

Examples of fruiting body in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As hen of the woods clusters age, the fruiting bodies will shrivel and become chewier. — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2026

From the fruiting body or mycelium? — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 25 June 2026

Sunmed’s All-in-One blend features premium fruiting body extracts from 10 functional mushrooms like lion’s mane, reishi, cordyceps, chaga, and maitake. — Wyles Daniel, Ascend Agency, 3 June 2026

They were even thought to be the fruiting bodies of a fungus that got its own scientific name—Ascophora ovalis—before the French scientist René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur found out their true nature in 1737. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fruiting body

• afterbody
• antibody
• busybody
• everybody
• autoantibody
• bawdy
• gaudy
• khadi
• mahdi
• noddy
• oddi
• shoddy

Kids Definition

fruiting body

noun

: a plant organ specialized for producing spores

Medical Definition

fruiting body

noun

fruit·​ing body ˈfrüt-iŋ- 

: a plant organ specialized for producing spores

especially : sporophore