Bolete
/boʊˈliːt/noun
A fleshy mushroom, especially one with pores instead of gills on the underside of the cap.
Did you know?Bolete comes through French and New Latin from Greek bolítēs, a mushroom name linked to bólos, meaning a clod or lump of earth—language literally rooted it in the soil.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
bolítēs
“a mushroom, especially one thought of as growing from the earth”
Ancient Greek
Greek
bólos
“a clod, lump of earth, or cast”
Late Latin
Latin
boletus
“a mushroom, especially a prized edible kind”
Old French
French
bolet
“a mushroom”
19th Century
English
bolete
“a bolete mushroom, especially one in the family Boletaceae”