cucurbit

American  

[kyoo-kur-bit] / kyuˈkɜr bɪt /

noun

1. a gourd.

2. any plant of the gourd family.

3. Chemistry. the gourd-shaped portion of an alembic, a vessel formerly used in distilling.

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cucurbit British  

/ kjuːˈkɜːbɪt /

noun

1. any creeping flowering plant of the mainly tropical and subtropical family Cucurbitaceae, which includes the pumpkin, cucumber, squashes, and gourds

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Other Word Forms

• cucurbitaceous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cucurbit

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cucurbite, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin cucurbita “gourd, cupping glass”; cf. gourd, courgette

Example Sentences

A pollinator of cucurbit crops such as squash and pumpkin, the hoary squash bee is a solitary species that exhibits sex differences in physiology and behavior, according to the researchers.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2024

A 2012 Saveur piece by Leah Koenig notes that "squash, which is a member of the cucurbit family along with melons and cucumbers, originally hails from the Americas — likely somewhere between Mexico and Guatemala."

From Salon • Nov. 19, 2022

An even more rapacious cucurbit is found on the opposite fence.

From Washington Post • Sep. 7, 2021

This is a highly symbolic gourd we’re talking about, the unofficial national cucurbit, and drinks invented to exploit it deserve, at the very least, a good name.

From Slate • Oct. 28, 2014

The force of the steam had broken the instrument to such an extent that the cucurbit was pinned to the head of the still.

From Bouvard and Pécuchet A Tragi-comic Novel of Bourgeois Life by Flaubert, Gustave