Cornichon
Americannoun
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a black vinifera grape grown for table use.
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the vine itself.
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(lowercase) a cucumber pickle; gherkin.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Cornichon
1965–70; < French: literally, little horn, equivalent to corne horn + -ichon diminutive suffix
Explanation
A cornichon is a tart, crunchy little pickle. You can eat cornichons on their own, or chop them up and add them to your tuna or egg salad. In the U.K., people call these tiny pickles gherkins, but in France and the U.S., they're cornichons. Traditionally, cornichons are very small cucumbers pickled in vinegar and flavored with tarragon. They're tart, but much less sour and salty than dill pickles. The French cornichon literally means "little horn," from the Latin cornu, "animal horn."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
How shall I prune grape vines, viz: Tokay, Black Cornichon, Muscat, Thompson Seedless, Rose of Peru, planted for a grape arbor?
From One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered by Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
This is an excellent system for Malaga, Emperor, and Cornichon when growing in very fertile soil.
From Manual of American Grape-Growing by Hedrick, U. P.
You must ring for the porter if you would go in to Cornichon; and the porter must, by a jerk at a string, unlatch the street door if Cornichon wishes to come out to you.
From A Tramp's Wallet stored by an English goldsmith during his wanderings in Germany and France by Duthie, William
Cornichon lives in room number thirty-six on the third floor of a furnished lodging house in the street du Petit Lion.
From A Tramp's Wallet stored by an English goldsmith during his wanderings in Germany and France by Duthie, William
Cornichon made complaints about the 'Abbe Huff,' as he called him.
From Barry Lyndon by Thackeray, William Makepeace
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.