What is "destroying angel"

n. A deadly toxic mushroom in the ''Amanita genus; Amanita virosa.

1. n. fungus similar to Amanita phalloides [syn: Amanita verna]

2. extremely poisonous usually white fungus with a prominent cup-shaped base; differs from edible Agaricus only in its white gills [syn: death cap, death cup, death angel, Amanita phalloides]

The name destroying angel applies to several similar, closely related species of deadly all-white mushrooms in the genus Amanita. They are Amanita bisporigera and A. ocreata in eastern and western North America, and A. virosa in Europe. Another very similar species, A. verna or fool's mushroom was first described in France.

Closely related to the death cap (A. phalloides) they are among the most toxic known mushrooms, containing amatoxins as death caps do.

Destroying angel is any of several closely related deadly species of Amanita mushrooms.

Destroying angel may also refer to:

• Destroying angel (Bible), in various passages
• "Destroying Angel" (Midsomer Murders episode)
• Destroying Angel (novel), a science fiction novel by Richard Paul Russo
• Destroying Angels, members of the Mormon Danites
• "Destroying Angel", a song by Sneaker Pimps from Splinter
• "The Destroying Angel", a song by Anaal Nathrakh from Eschaton

Destroying Angel is the second episode of the fourth series of Midsomer Murders and the fifteenth episode overall. It stars John Nettles as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and Daniel Casey as Detective Sergeant Gavin Troy.

The Destroying Angel or Angel of Death in the Hebrew Bible is an entity sent out by Yahweh on several occasions to kill enemies of the Israelites, most notably in the story of the Passover ( Book of Exodus) where he kills all the firstborn of Egypt. In 2 Samuel 24:15, it kills the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In I Chronicles 21:15, the same "angel of the Lord" is seen by David to stand "between the earth and the heaven, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out against Jerusalem." Later, the angel of the Lord kills 185,000 men of Sennacherib's Assyrian army, thereby saving Hezekiah's Jerusalem in II Kings 19:35.

The angel ( malak) is referred to under various terms, including Mashḥit (pron. mash-heet(h) or -kheet(h)) (Mashchit(h), מַשְׁחִית and Ha-Mashchit(h)/Ha-Mashḥit, הַמַשְׁחִית), "destroying angel" (מַלְאָך הַמַשְׁחִית, malak ha-mashḥit or in the plural מַשְׁחִיתִים, mashchitim/mashchithim/mashḥitim - "spoilers, ravagers"), Angel of the Lord, "destroyer" (מְמִיתִים, memitim - "executioners", "slayers") is found in Job 33:22 and in Proverbs 16:14 in the plural, "angels of death" (malake ha-mawet)

Mashchith was also used as an alternate name for one of the seven compartments of Gehenna.