What does mycosis mean?
Mycosis is the medical term for a disease or infection caused by a fungus. The term covers a wide range of conditions, from superficial infections affecting the skin, hair, or nails to deeper mycoses involving subcutaneous tissue or internal organs. Examples include athlete's foot, ringworm, fungal nail infection, and forms of systemic fungal disease. The diagnosis and classification of a mycosis can require laboratory testing because its symptoms may resemble bacterial infections, inflammatory skin conditions, or other illnesses. The word is most often encountered in medical and scientific contexts, where it provides a concise general term for fungal disease. Its plural, mycoses, follows a pattern shared with several other medical nouns ending in -osis and is pronounced with a final /z/ sound.
nounA disease or infection caused by a fungus. The term may refer to infections affecting the skin, hair, nails, or internal organs.
- A disease or infection caused by a fungus, especially one affecting the skin, hair, nails, or internal organs.
"The rash was eventually diagnosed as a superficial mycosis."
"The clinician suspected a superficial mycosis and collected a skin sample for testing."
"Prompt treatment can prevent a deep fungal infection from becoming a serious systemic mycosis."
The standard plural is mycoses, pronounced /maɪˈkoʊsiːz/.
"The doctor explained that the patient had several forms of mycoses affecting the skin and nails."
A mycosis is a disease caused by a fungus, from the Greek mykēs, meaning mushroom or fungus.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mycosis come from?
Mycosis was formed in the 19th century from the combining form myco-, derived from Greek mykēs, meaning mushroom or fungus, together with the Greek-derived suffix -osis, denoting a condition or disease. The same Greek root appears in words such as mycologist, mycelium, and mycorrhiza. Its unusual plural, mycoses, reflects the standard plural used by many words ending in -osis.
Related word forms
How mycosis is actually used
This is primarily a medical term. It is used broadly for fungal diseases but is especially common in clinical and dermatological contexts; the standard plural is mycoses.