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”; gourd, courgette

Example Sentences

If you’ll be eating them soon, don’t worry about cooling solanums and cucurbits at all.

From Seattle Times

There are times when warted pumpkins — and, for that matter, all manner of warted cucurbits — look like that because something is terribly wrong.

From Salon

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

From Washington Post

In cucurbits, those additional pollinators could reduce the frustration of shrunken zucchini or cucumbers that didn’t size up to maturity because of insufficient pollination — or plants didn’t bear fruit at all.

From New York Times

Some crops require pollinator access to set fruit, so with cucurbits, for instance, Ms. Jabbour removes covers when the plants flower.

From New York Times