-mycetes

The combining form -mycetes is used like a suffix meaning “mushrooms, fungi.” It is occasionally used in the scientific names for classes of fungi in taxonomy.

The form -mycetes comes from Greek mykétes, the plural of mykēs, meaning “mushroom.” Other combining forms meaning “fungus” that come from this same Greek root are myco- and myc-.

What are variants of -mycetes?

When indicating a singular, -mycetes becomes -mycete, as in myxomycete. A similar combining form used like a prefix is myceto-. Want to learn more? Check out our Words That Use entries for both -mycete and myceto-.

One example of a scientific term that features the form -mycetes is Zygomycetes, “a subclass of fungi characterized by sexual reproduction resulting in the formation of a large spore formed by union of similar gametes.”

The form zygo- literally means “yoked” and is used to indicate a pair or a union. The -mycetes portion of the word means “fungi,” and Zygomycetes therefore literally translates to “yoked (paired) fungi.”

What are some words that use the combining form -mycetes?

• Ascomycetes
• Basidiomycetes
• Deuteromycetes
• Phycomycetes (using the equivalent form of -mycetes in Latin)

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

• -metry
• -morphic
• -mycin

The combining form phyco- means “algae.” With this in mind, what do the fungi known as Phycomycetes resemble?