squirting cucumber

American  

noun

1. a Mediterranean plant, Ecballium elaterium, of the gourd family, whose ripened fruit forcibly ejects the seeds and juice.

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squirting cucumber British  

noun

1. a hairy cucurbitaceous plant, Ecballium elaterium , of the Mediterranean region, having a fruit that discharges its seeds explosively when ripe

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Etymology

Origin of squirting cucumber

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squirting cucumber

A team led by the University of Oxford has solved a mystery that has intrigued scientists for centuries: how does the squirting cucumber squirt?

From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024

This revealed that the seed projection method of the squirting cucumber has been fine-tuned to ensure near-optimal dispersal and the success of the plant over generations.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024

Elaterium, a drug obtained from the mucus of the fruit of the squirting cucumber; is a most powerful purgative, and was known to the ancients.

From The Nuttall Encyclopædia Being a Concise and Comprehensive Dictionary of General Knowledge by Nuttall, P. Austin

ELATERIUM, a drug consisting of a sediment deposited by the juice of the fruit of Ecballium Elaterium, the squirting cucumber, a native of the Mediterranean region.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 2 "Ehud" to "Electroscope" by Various

In certain cases seeds are scattered for short distances by an 'explosive' mechanism, as in wood-sorrel, impatiens, sand-box tree, squirting cucumber, and other 'sling' fruits.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 1: Deposition to Eberswalde by Various