cucumber

[kyoo-kuhm-ber]

noun

1. a creeping plant, Cucumis sativus, of the gourd family, occurring in many cultivated forms.

2. the edible, fleshy fruit of this plant, of a cylindrical shape with rounded ends and having a green, warty skin.

3. any of various allied or similar plants.

4. the fruit of any such plant.

cucumber

/ ˈkjuːˌkʌmbə /

noun

1. a creeping cucurbitaceous plant, Cucumis sativus, cultivated in many forms for its edible fruit Compare squirting cucumber

2. the cylindrical fruit of this plant, which has hard thin green rind and white crisp flesh

3. any of various similar or related plants or their fruits

4. very calm; self-possessed

Word History and Origins

Origin of cucumber¹

1350–1400; Middle English cucumbre < Anglo-French, Old French co ( u ) combre < Latin cucumer-, stem of cucumis; replacing Middle English, Old English cucumer < Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of cucumber¹

C14: from Latin cucumis, of unknown origin

Idioms and Phrases

see cool as a cucumber.

Example Sentences

For snacks, I graze rather than feast: dried apricots, dates with almond butter and sea salt, cucumber rolled with herby cream cheese and lunch meat.

From Salon

Blanca Lucio likes to spend her mornings tending to her zucchinis, cucumbers, watermelons and traditional Mexican herbs at a small community garden near downtown Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

Sharing a cold cucumber salad from the hotel’s in-house restaurant, they gazed across the spacious pool area with its wide platform loungers and stucco walls that perfectly matched the color of the dusty landscape beyond.

From Los Angeles Times

“When I was younger, I’d eat a cucumber because my friends had one,” she explained.

From Salon

There’s evidence that buckwheat and bush sunflower can take up lead, and saltbush can ensnare arsenic, Fang said, also name-checking corn, squash and cucumber for their ability to sequester contaminants such as dioxins.

From Los Angeles Times

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