foxfire

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the faint glow produced by bioluminescent fungi growing on decaying wood

   Foxfire shone with a greenish light from the rotten logs.

2. 2
   noun

   decaying wood that glows because it contains bioluminescent fungi

   They carried a piece of foxfire to mark the path through the dark cave.

The second element is fire, but the first is uncertain. Fox may be literal, a folk reshaping of French fol, 'false,' or an altered form connected with phosphor. The term has long named the cold light emitted by certain fungi in rotting wood.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images