Cornichon
Americannoun
-
a black vinifera grape grown for table use.
-
the vine itself.
-
(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.
Cornichon and Friponnet dine in the street Chabannais; have soup at a penny a portion, small plates of p. 144meat at twopence each, dessert at a penny, and halfpenny slips of bread.
From A Tramp's Wallet stored by an English goldsmith during his wanderings in Germany and France by Duthie, William
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
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.
It is used especially for the Cornichon and Malaga in rich soil.
From Manual of American Grape-Growing by Hedrick, U. P.
My friend Cornichon, who is a goldsmith, works as long as a painter or a smith.
From A Tramp's Wallet stored by an English goldsmith during his wanderings in Germany and France by Duthie, William
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.