morel

¹

[ muh-rel ]

noun

1. any edible mushroom of the genus Morchella, especially M. esculenta.

morel

²

or mo·relle

[ muh-rel ]

noun

1. any of several nightshades, especially the black nightshade.

Morel

³

[ maw-rel; French maw-rel ]

noun

1. Jean [zhah, n], 1903–75, French orchestra conductor.

morel

/ mɒˈrɛl /

noun

1. any edible saprotrophic ascomycetous fungus of the genus Morchella, in which the mushroom has a pitted cap: order Pezizales

Word History and Origins

Origin of morel¹

1665–75; < French, Middle French morille, perhaps < Vulgar Latin *maurīcula, derivative of Medieval Latin maurus brown, dark-colored; morel ², -cule ¹

Origin of morel²

1350–1400; Middle English morel ( l ) e < Anglo-French < Medieval Latin maurella, equivalent to maur ( us ) brown, dark-colored (adj. use of Latin Maurus Moor ) + -ella -elle

Word History and Origins

Origin of morel¹

C17: from French morille, probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German morhila, diminutive of morha carrot

Example Sentences

I love a dish with morels, calf brains and cassava terrine.

From Salon

“We call it a tour, although you could call it a workshop,” he explains: The foraging tour takes guests through woods and meadows to gather plants like ramps and morel mushrooms.

From Salon

Some are well-known to foragers and farmers market shoppers — nettles, morels, garlic scapes.

From Seattle Times

Ricotta dumplings chewed stiffly doughy, rather than like tasty, light morsels; accompanying pea pods stayed pleasantly crunchy, but for $28, the mushrooms were scant — and cremini, with morels in season.

From Seattle Times

He slices one of the morels lengthwise with a small knife, and confirms that the inside is hollow.

From National Geographic