puffball

When most people hear "puffball," they think first of the round mushroom. That is the main meaning of the word: a fungus that is often white or pale brown and sends out spores in a puff when it is pressed or broken open.

The word is also sometimes used in a loose, playful way for something round, soft, and fluffy. For example, someone might call a very fluffy animal or a little ball of fiber a puffball. This extra use is less exact than the mushroom meaning, but it still keeps the same picture of something light, round, and airy.

The word "puffball" first names a kind of fungus. These fungi are usually round or nearly round, and when they are mature, they release spores in a dusty puff if they are touched, stepped on, or split open. That image explains the name. You may see them in grass, woods, or fields, and some kinds are edible when young, though they should never be eaten unless they have been identified with care.

From that clear physical picture, the word can also be used more loosely for other things that seem small, round, soft, or fluffy. A person might affectionately call a very fluffy chick, kitten, or toy a puffball. In writing, it can also describe a little cloudlike shape or a soft ball of fiber or dust. These uses are informal and depend on resemblance to the fungus, not on a separate technical meaning.

So in ordinary English, the first and strongest meaning is still the mushroom. The broader use is descriptive and playful, bringing to mind something light, rounded, and soft.