Mold

The colloquial term mold (or mould; see spelling differences) is applied to a large and taxonomically diverse number of fungal species where their growth results in a moldy appearance of objects, especially food. The objects become discolored by a layer of fungal growth. Molds are fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae. A connected network of these tubular branching hyphae, called a mycelium, is considered a single organism. The hyphae are generally transparent, so the mycelium appears like very fine, fluffy white threads over the surface. Cross-walls (septa) may delimit connected compartments along the hyphae, each containing one or multiple, genetically identical nuclei. The dusty texture of many molds is caused by profuse numbers of asexual spores conidia formed by differentiation at the ends of hyphae. The mode of formation and shape of these spores is traditionally used to classify the mold fungi. Many of these spores are colored, making the fungus much more obvious to the human eye at this stage in its life-cycle. In contrast, fungi that can adopt a single celled growth habit are called yeasts.

Famous quotes containing the word mold:

“indolence read as abnegation,
slattern thought styled intuition,
every lapse forgiven, our crime
only to cast too bold a shadow
or smash the mold straight off.”
—Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)

“Unfortunately, life may sometimes seem unfair to middle children, some of whom feel like an afterthought to a brilliant older sibling and unable to captivate the family’s attention like the darling baby. Yet the middle position offers great training for the real world of lowered expectations, negotiation, and compromise. Middle children who often must break the mold set by an older sibling may thereby learn to challenge family values and seek their own identity.”
—Marianne E. Neifert (20th century)

“Death is an incident producing clay. Use it, mold it, learn from it.”
—John Gilling, British screenwriter. Dr. Knox (Peter Cushing)