pumpkin
[ puhmp-kin or, commonly, puhng-kin ]
/ ˈpʌmp kɪn or, commonly, ˈpʌŋ kɪn /
noun
a large, edible, orange-yellow fruit borne by a coarse, decumbent vine, Cucurbita pepo, of the gourd family.
the similar fruit of any of several related species, as C. maxima or C. moschata.
a plant bearing such fruit.
Words nearby pumpkin
pump-oxygenator, pumped storage, pumper, pumpernickel, pumping, pumpkin, pumpkin head, pumpking, pumpkinseed, pumpman, pun
Origin of pumpkin
1640–50; alteration of pumpion (see -kin), variant of pompon < Middle French, nasalized variant of popon melon, earlier pepon < Latin pepōn- (stem of pepō) < Greek pépōn kind of melon
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pumpkin
British Dictionary definitions for pumpkin
pumpkin
/ (ˈpʌmpkɪn) /
noun
any of several creeping cucurbitaceous plants of the genus Cucurbita, esp C. pepo of North America and C. maxima of Europe
- the large round fruit of any of these plants, which has a thick orange rind, pulpy flesh, and numerous seeds
- (as modifier)pumpkin pie
(often capital) mainly US a term of endearment
Word Origin for pumpkin
C17: from earlier pumpion, from Old French pompon, from Latin pepo, from Greek pepōn, from pepōn ripe, from peptein to ripen
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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