Standard Lemma guide

ergot

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈəːɡət/
  • /ˈəːɡɒt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈəɹɡət/
  • [ˈɚɡɪʔt̚]
  • /ˈəɹˌɡɑt/
  • /ɛɹˈɡoʊ/
  • CMU ARPABET: ER1 G AH0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any fungus in the genus Claviceps which are parasitic on grasses.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The sclerotium (wintering stage) of certain fungi in the genus Claviceps, appearing as a deformed grain in certain cereals and grasses infected by the fungi.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The wart-like growth of skin that covers the metacarpal pad on a horse or similar animal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a fungus that infects various cereal plants forming compact black masses of branching filaments that replace many grains of the plant; source of medicinally important alkaloids and of lysergic acid

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Claviceps purpurea

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fungus

Narrower terms: rye ergot

5

noun

Meaning 5

a plant disease caused by the ergot fungus

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: plant disease

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French ergot.

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: мораво рогче (moravo rogče) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Czech: paličkovice — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Dutch: moederkoren — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • French: ergot — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Gagauz: rastık — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Galician: cornizó — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Galician: cornecho — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Galician: dentón — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Galician: caruncho — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • German: Mutterkornpilz — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Ancient Greek: ἐμπυρισμός (empurismós) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Hungarian: anyarozs — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Hungarian: varjúköröm — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Ingrian: hiirensitta — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Irish: eargót — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Japanese: 麦角菌 (bakkakukin) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Kazakh: қастауыш (qastauyş) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Komi-Zyrian: ужпинь (užpiń) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Eastern Mari: уржава (uržava) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Eastern Mari: шемуржа (šemurža) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Western Mari: ӓвӓ ыржа (ävä yrža) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Western Mari: ӓвӓвӹрцӹ (ävävÿrcÿ) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Norwegian Bokmål: meldrøye — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: mjølauk — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: mjøldryge — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: moldaks — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Polish: buławinka — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Portuguese: cravagem — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Romanian: corn-de-secară — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Russian: спорынья́ (sporynʹjá) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Spanish: cornezuelo — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Spanish: tizón — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Spanish: polvillo — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Turkish: çavdar mahmuzu — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Udmurt: мумыӟег (mumydźeg) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Udmurt: анайӟег (anajdźeg) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Udmurt: ӟеганай (dźeganaj) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Udmurt: ужӟег (uždźeg) — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Welsh: mall rhyg — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Welsh: malltod rhyg — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Welsh: mallryg — any fungus of the genus Claviceps
  • Catalan: banya del sègol — deformed grain
  • Czech: námel — deformed grain
  • Finnish: torajyvä — deformed grain
  • Finnish: härkäjyvä — deformed grain
  • French: ergot — deformed grain
  • Galician: cornizó — deformed grain
  • Galician: cornello — deformed grain
  • Galician: dentón — deformed grain
  • Galician: caruncho — deformed grain
  • German: Mutterkorn — deformed grain
  • Polish: sporysz — deformed grain
  • Portuguese: cravagem — deformed grain
  • Spanish: cornezuelo — deformed grain
  • Spanish: tizón — deformed grain