Frogstool

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A fungus with a cap and stem, especially one that is poisonous or inedible, sometimes called by this informal name
2. An informal term for a mushroom or toadstool, the spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus that grows in damp places
3. Another name for a toadstool, referring to the umbrella-shaped fungal growth found on soil, wood or decaying matter

Etymology: "Frogstool" is a compound of "frog" and "stool," and the pairing is an old English image: a stool is a small seat, and the frogstool is a small, umbrella-shaped mushroom that looks like a seat or a perch. The name plays on the creature's habits, since frogs were imagined to sit on such fungi, much as a person sits on a stool. The first element, "frog," is an ancient English word for the amphibian, while "stool" comes from an Old English word for a seat without a back or arms. Joined together, the two parts give a plain, descriptive name in the same spirit as other folk names for mushrooms, such as "toadstool," which follows the same pattern with "toad" in place of "frog."