Myco-vernacular glossary
Animism - the belief that all things possess a distinct spiritual essence
Anthropomorphism - the attribution of human characteristics to non-human entities
Applied mycology - study of fungi and their applications
Aseptic – free or freed from contaminating organisms
Bio-assistance - (also referred to as bio-collaboration) domesticating an organism to accomplish a function (includes biofabrication and myco-fabrication)
Bio-circular - production and transformation of renewable biological resources and waste streams
Biodegradable - ability to break down organic matter by microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi (a question of time!)
Biodesign - emerging design field at the intersections of design and biology (including biomimicry, bio-assistance, biophilic design, etc.)
Biofabrication - material production process by integrating living organisms
Bio-inclusive design - the term ‘bio-inclusive’ was coined by Freya Mathews and refers to reciprocal collaboration with living organisms that considers the needs of the more than human. (We use it to describe our design approach in our joint practical exploration with Stella Lee Prowse)
Bio-integrated design - explores how advances in synthetic biology, material science and digital fabrication are changing future design practices
Biophilic design - explores to connect humans inherent need to affiliate with nature in the modern built environment
Biomimicry - practice that learns from and mimics the strategies found in nature to solve human design challenges
Citizen Science - (also community science or crowd science) is scientific research conducted, in whole or in participatory, by amateurs
Commensalism - a kind of symbiosis in which one species obtains benefits from the other without harming or benefiting the latter
Composite material - material produced from two or more constituent materials
Compostable - ability to break down into non-toxic components in a compost environment (needs to be specified home or industrial compost)
Deep ecology - environmental movement found in 1973 by Arne Naess promoting the inherent worth of all living beings
DIY Mycology - culture and milieus of “amateur” self-taught mycologists practicing low-tech home cultivation of mushrooms and other applications
Ecofeminism - introduced by Françoise d'Eaubonne in 1974, philosophical and political movement and field of inquiry that examines the connections between women and nature
External digestion - Fungi absorb nutrients by secreting enzymes that break down material in their environments
Fermentation – chemical changes in organic substrates caused by enzymes of living microorganisms
Fungal strain - variety of individuals within a species sharing common genetic heritage but different features
Grow-made - (term coined by Carole Collet) materials grown from living organisms cultivated by a designer
Hypha - (pl., hyphae) filamentous thread of fungal mycelium
Ki / Kin - introduced by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Taken from the Anishinaaabe word Bemaadiziiaaki meaning beings of the living Earth
Inoculation - introducing microorganisms into a culture where they can grow and reproduce Interspecies collaboration - collaboration between different species Interspecies ethics - explores the ethical considerations across species
Lichen - dual organism in which a fungus maintains a green alga or a cyanobacterium captive in a symbiosis that approaches balanced parasitism
Localism - way of production using nearby resources, place-specific knowledge and community self-reliance
Macrofungi - fungi forming fruiting bodies or sporocarps
Materiality - ‘material world’ including physicality of the environment and how it is appropriated by humanity
Materials - Matter with intended use
Matter - physical substance in its different states, anything that has mass, taking up space by having volume
Microfungi - (also micromycetes) fungi with microscopic spore-producing structures
Mold or mould (design)- container or form (soft or solid)used to cast shapes.
Mold or mould (fungi) - usually either zygomycetes or hyphomycetes, associated with deterioration of food or manufactured goods of organic origin
Mutualism - a kind of symbiosis in which both or all partners gain from the association (e.g. mycorrhizae)
Mycelium (pl. Mycelia) - body of a fungus, most of which is underground or hidden within wood
Myco-collaboration - collaboration between humans and fungi
Myco-fabrication - material production process by integrating mycelium
Mycofiltration - use of mycelium as a membrane (selective barrier) to filter microorganisms, pollutants and silt
Myco-materials - materials made though myco-fabrication
Mycoremediation - bioremediation form using fungi to decontaminate the environment
Myco-vernacular - term I use to describe myco-fabrication of materials, objects and processes under local constraints
Mycoforestry - use of fungi to sustain forest communities
Mycophobia - Fear or aversion of fungi
Mycophilia - Love of fungi
Mycorestoration - use of fungi to restore degraded environments (including mycofiltration, mycoforestry, mycoremediation, and mycopesticides)
Mycorrhiza - structure by which a fungus and a plant exchange nutrients mutually
Mycotopia - (term coined by Paul Stamets) environment in which fungi are actively used to enhance or preserve ecological equilibrium
Organic waste - biodegradable material from a plant or animal origin
Parasitic fungi - Fungi that take nutrients from living source gradually killing it
Permaculture - (term coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren)Integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-perpetuating plant and animal species useful to humans
Pleurotus -(Pleurotus ostreatus or oyster mushroom) edible wild and cultivated fungus, commonly used in myco-fabrication and mycoremediation
Psilocybin mushrooms (also called shrooms) - fungi that contain psilocybin, naturally occurring psychedelic compound
Radical mycology - (term coined by Peter McCoy) grassroots movement promoting working with fungi for personal, societal, and ecological resilience
Regenerative - capacity to renew or restore
Rhizomorph - thick string like strand of mycelium
Saprobic fungi - “decomposer” fungi that derive nutrients from dead matter
Sentient - ability to perceive or feel things
Spawn - any material impregnated with living fungal culture
Spores - reproductive structures of a fungus, usually a single cell
Sporophore - fungal fruiting body
Substrate - any organic material on which mycelium can feed on
Symbiosis - interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association
Synthetic biology - redesign of existing natural biological systems
Toadstool - fruiting body of a fungus, typically in the form of a rounded cap on a stalk, often one that is believed to be inedible or poisonous
Vernacular - use of a dialect, native to a place or characteristic to a group, rather than a formal literary language
Vernacular architecture - characteristic building style of a period or place
Vernacular design - design under constraints of locality and context
White rot fungi - degrading lignin leaving decayed wood whitish in color and fibrous in texture
Wood Wide Web - (term coined by Suzanne Simard) metaphor of mycelium as nature's internet
Yeast - eukaryotic, single-celled microorganism classified as member of the fungus kingdom