fusarium

noun

fu·sar·i·um fyü-ˈzer-ē-əm

: any of a genus (Fusarium) of ascomycetous fungi having curved septate conidia which includes forms that are important agents of plant disease and others that produce mycotoxins implicated in human and animal disease

also : a plant disease (such as wilt or dry rot) caused by a fusarium

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Some fungal diseases that develop inside the plant’s stems — such as verticillium and fusarium wilts — are not affected by fungicide sprays at all. —

Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2022 Invasive shothole borers have sickened at least 65 varieties of SoCal urban trees — such as box elders, maples, willows, sycamores, oaks and cottonwoods — by infesting them with their primary food source, fusarium fungus. —

Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2022 Inland gardeners are more likely to see fusarium wilt (F). —

Pam Peirce, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2021 When the microbes are in their proper proportions, pathogens such as rhizoctonia, pythium, fusarium, etc., function in a positive way. —

Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 23 Jan. 2020 Basil infected with fusarium wilt, one of the most common diseases, has brown streaks, twisted stems, and sudden leaf drop. —

Arricca Sansone, Country Living, 25 Apr. 2018 To avoid fungal issues such as fusarium and verticillium wilt, don’t plant in the same area for 3 years, if possible. —

Rebecca Jepsen, The Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2017 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fusarium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin fusus spindle

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of fusarium was in 1907

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fusarium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fusarium. Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.

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Medical Definition

fusarium

noun

fu·sar·i·um fyü-ˈzer-ē-əm

capitalized : a genus of ascomycetous fungi (family Tuberculariaceae) including important plant pathogens, agents (as F. solani and F. oxysporum) of infectious conditions in humans and domestic animals, and mycotoxin-producing forms (as F. moniliforme and F. proliferaturm) that contaminate agricultural products (as grain)

plural fusaria -eə

: any fungus of the genus Fusarium