Advertisement

Advertisement

dead-man's fingers

[ ded-manz, -muhnz ]

noun

  1. any of various fungi, sponges, plant roots, animal parts, etc., having fingerlike projections and a pale or dull color, as the gray-black woodland fungus Xylaria polymorpha or the whitish spongy gills of a food crab.


dead man's fingers

noun

  1. functioning as singular a soft coral, Alcyonium digitatum, with long finger-like polyps
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of dead-man's fingers1

First recorded in 1595–1605
Discover More

Example Sentences

Dead-man’s fingers is a fine uncanny name for the innocent Orchis maculata, and refers to its branching white tuber.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement