bottle gourd ExamplesWord Origin noun
- See under gourd(def 1).
Origin of bottle gourd First recorded in 1860–65 gourd [gawrd, gohrd, goo rd] noun
- 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.Compare gourd family.
- a plant bearing such a fruit.
- a dried and excavated gourd shell used as a bottle, dipper, flask, etc.
- a gourd-shaped, small-necked bottle or flask.
Idioms
- out of/off one’s gourd, Slang. out of one’s mind; crazy.
Origin of gourd 1275–1325; Middle English gourd(e), courde Anglo-French (Old French cöorde) Latin cucurbita Related formsgourd·like, adjective Examples from the Web for bottle gourd Historical Examples of bottle gourd
The model of the form was a simple and obvious one—the bottle-gourd—and it would contain about two quarts.
Early Western Travels 1748-1846, v. 27
Various
Then he hung a bottle-gourd on his back, and went into the hills to gather medicinal herbs.
Various
Li Tia Guai has the bottle-gourd, out of which emerges a bat, the emblem of good fortune.
Various
British Dictionary definitions for bottle gourd gourd noun
- 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
- any plant that bears this fruitSee also sour gourd, dishcloth gourd, calabash
- a bottle or flask made from the dried shell of the bottle gourd
- a small bottle shaped like a gourd
Derived Formsgourdlike, adjectivegourd-shaped, adjectiveWord Origin for gourd C14: from Old French gourde, ultimately from Latin cucurbita bottle gourd noun
- an Old World cucurbitaceous climbing plant, Lagenaria siceraria, having large hard-shelled gourds as fruits
- the fruit of this plant
Also called: calabash Word Origin and History for bottle gourd gourd n.
c.1300, from Anglo-French gourde, from Old French coorde, ultimately from Latin cucurbita “gourd,” of uncertain origin, perhaps related to cucumis “cucumber.”