morel

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French morille (compare Picard merouille, meroule (“morel, mushroom”)), from Frankish *morhila (“mushroom”), diminutive of *morha (“root”), from Proto-Germanic *murhǭ, *murhijǭ (“carrot”), from Proto-Indo-European *mork- (“tuber, edible herb”). Akin to Old High German morhilo, morhela (“mushroom”) (German Morchel (“morel”)), diminutive of Old High German morha, moraha (“tree-root, plant root”) (German Möhre (“carrot”)). Equivalent to dialectal more (“carrot, root”) + -el.

noun

1. Any of several edible mushrooms, especially the common morel or yellow morel.
   The slightly sulfurous, meaty odor of morels attracts flies, which lay eggs in the safety of the mushroom's hollow stalk. 2006, Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma, The Penguin Press, page 388
2. Any of several fungi in the genus Morchella, the upper part of which is covered with a reticulated and pitted hymenium.

Etymology 2

noun

1. Archaic form of morello (“type of cherry”).
   The insects which injure the morel cherry-trees so much in Pennsylvania, I perceive, here occasionally act in the same way upon the branches of the wild cherry […] 1821, Thomas Nuttall, A journal of travels into the Arkansa Territory, page 122