/məˈɹɛl/
OriginBorrowed from French morille (compare Picard merouille, meroule (“morel, mushroom”)), from Middle High German morhel, morchel (“edible fungus, morel”), from Old High German morhila (“edible root”), diminutive of Proto-West Germanic *morhā (“tree root, plant root”), from Proto-Germanic *murhǭ, *murhijǭ (“edible root”), from Proto-Indo-European *mork- (“tuber, edible herb”). Akin to German Morchel (“morel”), Middle Low German morke (“mushroom, morel”), German Möhre (“carrot”). Equivalent to dialectal more (“carrot, root”) + -el (diminutive suffix).
- A true morel; any of several fungi in the genus Morchella, the upper part of which is covered with a reticulated and pitted hymenium.
- archaicSynonym of morello (“type of cherry”).
“The insects which injure the morel cherry-trees so much in Pennsylvania, I perceive, here occasionally act in the same way upon the branches of the wild cherry […]”
- Certain plants or genera Solanum, Atropa, and Aralia, with dark, cherry-like berries.
“It exists in both these plants, but whilst the leaves of the last one contain it in some quantity, none is found in those of the morel.”
Formsmorels(plural) · morell(alternative) · moril(alternative) · Morels(plural) · Morell(alternative) · Morill(alternative) · Morrell(alternative) · Morrill(alternative)