gourd

American  

[gawrd, gohrd, goord] / gɔrd, goʊrd, gʊərd /

noun

• gourds
  plural

1. the hard-shelled fruit of any of various plants, especially those of Lagenaria siceraria white-flowered gourd, or bottle gourd, whose dried shell is used for bowls and other utensils, and Cucurbita pepo yellow-flowered gourd, used ornamentally.

2. a plant bearing such a fruit.

3. a dried and excavated gourd shell used as a bottle, dipper, flask, etc.

4. a gourd-shaped, small-necked bottle or flask.

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idioms

1. out of / off one's gourd, out of one's mind; crazy.

gourd British  

/ ɡʊəd /

noun

1. the fruit of any of various cucurbitaceous or similar plants, esp the bottle gourd and some squashes, whose dried shells are used for ornament, drinking cups, etc

2. any plant that bears this fruit See also sour gourd dishcloth gourd calabash

3. a bottle or flask made from the dried shell of the bottle gourd

4. a small bottle shaped like a gourd

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gourd-shaped
  adjective
• gourdlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gourds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gourd

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English gourd(e), courde, from Anglo-French ( Old French cöorde ), from Latin cucurbita

Explanation

A gourd is a squash-like plant with a hard, colorful skin. You'll often find gourds decorating the table at Thanksgiving. You can think of gourds as decorative fruit — like a squash, a gourd's not a vegetable, strictly speaking, but unlike squash, most gourds aren't much good for eating. In fact, the word is often used for the dried, hollowed skin of a gourd, which has been used for centuries as a container, musical instrument, scoop, or drinking vessel. If someone says, "You're out of your gourd!" they mean you've lost your senses.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gourd gourds

Consider a slice of pumpkin pie: This is “prime pumpkin season” in Illinois, the country’s top supplier of the gourd, said Jacob Goebbert, co-owner and operations manager of a farm in South Barrington, Ill.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

Zhao Xuan, 28, who tells the BBC that her parents dispensed so much "gourd soup literature" that she has muted her family group chat.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

Monk fruit is a perennial vine native to China and a member of the gourd family.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 14, 2026

While she prefers traditional orange, Torres isn’t afraid of a more ghostly gourd.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025

Then she would throw water from the cistern over herself with a gourd.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

It is sold on street corners from vendors with large gourds, and also seen mixed with spirits on cocktail menus in upscale restaurants throughout the state.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Farmers arrived at dawn with tomatoes, gourds, chillies, lemons and melons.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

Earlier research from Inui and his team revealed that gourds contain a type of protein that binds to pollutants, allowing them to move through the plant's tissues.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2025

Customers are paying them hundreds—sometimes thousands—of dollars to festoon their homes with gourds of every shape and size.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025

He picked up the torn grass and pasted it on the gourds head, where it settled in tufty clumps, held tight by the sticky sap.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry

Related Words

• beaker
• canteen
• carafe
• chalice
• decanter
• jug
• urn
• vial