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er·got

(ûrgət, -gŏt′)

1. Any of several fungi of the genus Claviceps, especially C. purpurea, that infect various cereal plants and form compact black masses of branching filaments that replace the grains of the host plant. Humans and livestock can be poisoned by ingesting ergot-infected grains.

2. The plant disease caused by such a fungus.

3. The dried sclerotia of ergot, usually obtained from rye seed and used as a source of several medicinally important alkaloids and as the basic source of lysergic acid.

[French, from Old French argot, cock's spur (from its shape), of unknown origin.]

er·gotic adj.

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ergot

Claviceps purpurea

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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