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fungicide

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Etymology and origin of the English word fungicide

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1878 Bee-keepers' Magazine More words from the 19th century
Ultimate origin
Latin fungus,caedō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin fungus
English fungus
English fungicide
From the same root
English fungal ← fungus

Pronunciation

  • /ˈfʌŋɡɪsaɪd/, /ˈfʌnd͡ʒɪsaɪd/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English fungus + -icide,[2][3][4] or, in other analyses, from the combining forms fungi- and -cide.[5][6][7] Merriam-Webster Unabridged counts it as International Scientific Vocabulary.[7] The first element is from Latin fungus (“mushroom, toadstool”),[2][3] and the second element comes through -cīda (“killer”) from caedō (“to kill, cut”).[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A substance that kills fungi: the OED's first record is from the September 1878 issue of the Bee-keepers' Magazine: “sulphur is not only an insecticide, but a fungicide”.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster Unabridged give 1889,[3][7] and Dictionary.com 1885–90.[6]

Semantic evolution

The OED notes its use especially in farming and in the treatment of fungal infections,[2] and Merriam-Webster Unabridged adds a looser use for anything hostile to fungi, such as a fungistat or a seed disinfectant.[7] The adjective fungicidal is recorded from the early 20th century.[5]

Timeline

  • 1878 – a substance that kills fungi.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster Unabridged date it to 1889.[3][7]
  • early 20th century – the adjective fungicidal.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A substance or agent that destroys fungi, used especially in agriculture and against fungal infections: The vineyard was sprayed with a fungicide before the rains.[8][7][2]
  2. More broadly, an agent hostile to fungi, such as a seed disinfectant.[7]

Word family

  • fungicidal
  • fungicidally

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  5. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Fungicide.” Etymologically, 6 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/fungicide. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·