Ergot

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Hippocampus \Hip`po*cam"pus\, n. [L., the sea horse, Gr. ? a
     hippocampus (in senses 1 and 2); "i`ppos horse + ? to bend.]
     1. (Class. Myth.) A fabulous monster, with the head and fore
        quarters of a horse joined to the tail of a dolphin or
        other fish ({Hippocampus brevirostris}), -- seen in
        Pompeian paintings, attached to the chariot of Neptune.


        --Fairholt.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zool.) A genus of lophobranch fishes of several species
        in which the head and neck have some resemblance to those
        of a horse; -- called also {sea horse}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: They swim slowly, in an erect position, and often cling
           to seaweeds by means of the incurved prehensile tail.
           The male has a ventral pouch, in which it carries the
           eggs till hatched.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Zool.) A name applied to either of two ridges of white
        matter in each lateral ventricle of the brain. The larger
        is called hippocampus major or simply hippocampus. The
        smaller, hippocampus minor, is called also {ergot} and
        {calcar}.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Ergot \Er"got\, n. [F. ergot, argot, lit., a spur.]
     1. A diseased condition of rye and other cereals, in which
        the grains become black, and often spur-shaped. It is
        caused by a parasitic fungus, {Claviceps purpurea}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The mycelium or spawn of this fungus infecting grains of
        rye and wheat. It is a powerful remedial agent, and also a
        dangerous poison, and is used as a means of hastening
        childbirth, and to arrest bleeding.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Far.) A stub, like soft horn, about the size of a
        chestnut, situated behind and below the pastern joint.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. (Anat.) See 2d {Calcar}, 3
        (b) .
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  ergot
       n 1: a plant disease caused by the ergot fungus
       2: 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 [syn: {Claviceps purpurea}]