Milkcap

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Any of several gilled mushrooms of the genus Lactarius that exude a milky fluid when their flesh or gills are broken
2. A fungus with a cap that releases a white or colored milky sap when cut, belonging to the Lactarius group
3. A type of wild mushroom whose cap and gills secrete a latex-like liquid when damaged, often found in woodland

Etymology: Milkcap is the common name for mushrooms in the genus Lactarius, and the name describes a striking habit: cut or bruise one and it oozes a milky latex. That fluid, which can be white, yellow or even orange-red depending on the species, gives the fungus its name, since "milk" supplies the first half and "cap" the second, the rounded head of a mushroom. The name is a plain compound of two ordinary English words, and it is literal rather than metaphorical. The genus name itself points the same way. Scientists writing in Latin called these fungi "Lactarius," from the Latin "lac," meaning milk, so the English name may be a partial translation of that scientific label. The English word and the Latin genus therefore seem to describe the same milky fluid, with the English name at least partly reflecting the Latin one.

Synonyms: milk mushroom