Enokis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group name referring to slender, long-stemmed edible mushrooms often used in Asian cuisine ; the plural form indicating more than one of such fungi
2. An identifier for multiple delicate white mushrooms popular in soups or salads ; denoting several instances of this culinary fungus
3. A term describing a collection of thin, clustered mushrooms appreciated in cooking ; indicating the presence of these fungi in quantity

Etymology: "Enokis" is simply the plural of "enoki", the name for the long, thin, pale mushrooms sold in grocery stores. The singular comes from Japanese "enokitake" (榎茸), in which "take" means "mushroom" and "enoki" is the name of the hackberry tree (genus Celtis), on whose dead wood these mushrooms are often said to grow in the wild. English speakers borrowed the word in shortened form, dropping the "take" and keeping only the tree-derived first half. The English name "enoki mushroom" is a partial calque: it translates the first part of the Japanese term into English words while borrowing the "enoki" element directly. So the word preserves a Japanese tree name in a product that most shoppers meet only in a plastic package.

Synonyms: enoki mushrooms, florida mushrooms