麦角 (mài jiǎ) — ergot | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

ergot

Easily confused

麦角。
mài jiǎ Shì yì zhǒng jì shēng zài gǔ wù shàng de zhēn jūn.
Ergot is a fungus that parasitizes grains.
麦角。
Zhè zhǒng yào wù shì cóng mài jiǎ zhōng tí qǔ chū lái de.
This medicine is extracted from ergot.
麦角。
Lì shǐ shàng mài jiǎ céng dǎo zhì guò dà guī mó zhòng dú shì jiàn.
Historically, ergot has caused large-scale poisoning incidents.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

麦 means wheat, and 角 means horn-like shape, giving ergot.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 麥; 麦 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

夊夊suīfootprint pointing down; to walk slowly

Sound part声符shēngfú

來

來lái麥mài

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 麦, the traditional form 麥 pairs 來, which gives the sound and once meant wheat, with 夊, a footprint pointing down for slow walking.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 角 is a picture of a horn.