cucurbit
Americannoun
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a gourd.
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any plant of the gourd family.
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Chemistry. the gourd-shaped portion of an alembic, a vessel formerly used in distilling.
noun
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Matrass, mat′ras, n. a chemical vessel with a tapering neck, a cucurbit.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
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.
