: any of several very poisonous pure white amanita mushrooms (such as Amanita verna or A. virosa) : death cap
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebAdditionally, Amanita muscaria are often confused with relatives: deadly impostors known as the death cap and the destroying angel. Joanna Klein, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2017
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1900, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
destroying angel
noun
de·stroy·ing an·gel di-ˌstrȯi(-i)ŋ-ˈān-jəl
: any of several very poisonous pure white mushrooms of the genus Amanita (as A. verna, A. virosa, or A. ocreata)
also: a death cap (A. phalloides) whether white or colored