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Added 9 October 2026

morel

/məˈɹɛl/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about morel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A true morel; any of several fungi in the genus Morchella, the upper part of which is covered with a reticulated and pitted hymenium.

noun

Synonym of morello (“type of cherry”).
Certain plants or genera Solanum, Atropa, and Aralia, with dark, cherry-like berries.

Origin

Borrowed 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).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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