-mycetes

1. a combining form meaning “mushrooms, fungi,” used in the formation of taxonomic names of fungi, especially classes:

   Myxomycetes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -mycetes¹

< New Latin < Greek mykétes, plural of mýkēs mushroom + -ism

Example Sentences

"There are two classes of organism in water - the cyano bacteria, which is commonly known as blue/ green algae, and actino mycetes, which are responsible for the damp or earth smell."

From BBC

HOWLER, a name applied to the members of a group of tropical American monkeys, now known scientifically as Alouata, although formerly designated Mycetes.

From Project Gutenberg

Mycetes, mī-sē′tēz, n. a kind of South American monkey, called also Howlers.

From Project Gutenberg

Mycetes, mī-sē′tēz, n.pl. mushrooms or fungi.—ns.

From Project Gutenberg

The Howling Monkeys form the single genus of the second sub-family of the Cebidæ—the genus Mycetes.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -mycetes

What does -mycetes mean?

The combining form -mycetes is used like a suffix meaning “mushrooms, fungi.” It is occasionally used in the scientific names for classes of fungi in taxonomy.

The form -mycetes comes from Greek mykétes, the plural of mykēs, meaning “mushroom.” Other combining forms meaning “fungus” that come from this same Greek root are myco- and myc-.

What are variants of -mycetes?

When indicating a singular, -mycetes becomes -mycete, as in myxomycete. A similar combining form used like a prefix is myceto-. Want to learn more? Check out our Words That Use entries for both -mycete and myceto-.

Examples of -mycetes

One example of a scientific term that features the form -mycetes is Zygomycetes, “a subclass of fungi characterized by sexual reproduction resulting in the formation of a large spore formed by union of similar gametes.”

The form zygo- literally means “yoked” and is used to indicate a pair or a union. The -mycetes portion of the word means “fungi,” and Zygomycetes therefore literally translates to “yoked (paired) fungi.”

What are some words that use the combining form -mycetes?

• Ascomycetes
• Basidiomycetes
• Deuteromycetes
• Phycomycetes (using the equivalent form of -mycetes in Latin)

What are some other forms that -mycetes may be commonly confused with?

• -metry
• -morphic
• -mycin

Break it down!

The combining form phyco- means “algae.” With this in mind, what do the fungi known as Phycomycetes resemble?