�y��vlog

Myc- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “mushroom, fungus.” It is used in many medical and scientific terms, especially in biology—as well as in a branch of biology known as mycology, as we’ll discuss below.

Myc- comes from the Greek ��ý��ŧ��, meaning “mushroom, fungus.”

Myc- is a variant of myco-, which loses its –o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

The closely related combining forms myceto- and -mycete both also indicate “mushroom, fungus.” The combining form -mycin used in the names of antibiotics, usually those derived from fungi.

Want to know more? Read our �y��vlogs That Use myco-, myceto-, -mycete, and -mycin articles.

One example of a term in medicine that features the combining form myc- is mycosis, “the presence of parasitic fungi in or on any part of the body.”

The first part of the word, myc-, means “fungus.” (Fungi is a plural form.) The suffix -osis is used to denote disorders or abnormal states, including diseases. Taken together, mycosis literally translates to “fungus disorder.”

What are some words that use or are related to the combining form myc-?

• mycelium
• mycetism
• mycid
• mycota
• mycotic

What are some other forms that myc- may be commonly confused with?

• my-
• myel-
• myx-

The suffix -ota is used in taxonomic names, especially of phyla. With this in mind, what kind of organisms can be found in the kingdom known as Mycota?