Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various fungi of the genus Candida that are found especially on the skin and in the mucous membranes of the mouth, intestinal tract, and vagina and that may become pathogenic, such as C. albicans, the causative agent of thrush.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun any of the yeastlike imperfect fungi of the genus Candida.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun medicine, informal A yeast of the genus Candida, usually specifically Candida albicans

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun any of the yeastlike imperfect fungi of the genus Candida

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin, feminine of candidus, white; see candid.]

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Examples

  • Yeast infections are caused by a fungus called candida, which is a normal resident of our skin and the mucous membranes of the mouth, intestines, and vagina.

    Baby Bites Bridget Swinney 2007

  • Yeast infections are caused by a fungus called candida, which is a normal resident of our skin and the mucous membranes of the mouth, intestines, and vagina.

    Baby Bites Bridget Swinney 2007

  • A fungus called candida disturbs the immune system of the body, due to which there is over production of histamine, giving rise to this condition.

    The Earth Times Online Newspaper 2009

  • A problem called candida, or candida overgrowth, is a common fungal problem that develops after using antibiotics without replenishing your healthy bacteria with probiotics.

    Kim Evans: Antibiotics Cause Cancer? 2009

  • I keep meaning to write something about yeast, aka candida albicans, because it's linked to fertility problems, I think largely because it's a signal of a weakened immune system.

    Archive 2007-03-01 GreenFertility 2007

  • I keep meaning to write something about yeast, aka candida albicans, because it's linked to fertility problems, I think largely because it's a signal of a weakened immune system.

    Yeast/Candida and Fertility: Guest Post GreenFertility 2007

  • Almost never, but there is one condition, a fungal infection called candida albicans or thrush, which can occur, especially after anti-biotic treatment.

    Chapter 37 1997

  • The American Academy of Allergy and Immunology labels the candida connection "speculative and unproven."

    Chicago Reader 2010

  • And secondarily because the maple syrup in it feeds a fungal problem that most people already have a problem with, called candida overgrowth.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com 2009

  • Yeasts are microscopic fungi and the commonest is a germ called candida albicans (formerly as monilia).

    WN.com - Articles related to New method to keep fruit, vegetables and flowers fresh for longer periods of time 2009

Comments

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  • As far as I can gather from a quick Web search, an imperfect fungus is one whose reproduction we don't fully understand. It seems rather derogatory.

    December 2, 2007

  • After all, none of us is perfect, are we VanishedOne?

    December 3, 2007

  • Fungi can be perfect, though (in a certain biological sense); I assume no fungi have Wordie accounts, but I'm not really in a position to prove it.

    December 3, 2007

  • I wouldn't make rash assumptions like that---we do have a very diverse membership.

    December 3, 2007

  • Candida is the name of a song that went to # 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973, by Dawn (before they became Tony Orlando and Dawn)

    February 9, 2008

  • Yesterday I attended an auction of items from the estate of a former English professor. The auctioneer was unfamiliar with the titles of some of the leather-bound books. "This one is Eur... Eur...." Folks in the front rows called out, "Euripedes?" Another was "Uh, Voltaire's... Candida...." When the auctioneer struggled with Oedipus, a guy ahead of me tried to help him out by yelling that it's a book about a guy who really loves his mother.

    July 25, 2010