Reference.com

113 results for: pumpkin

Dictionary Entries (8 more entries. View all »)
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Cite This Source
pump·kin    Audio Help   [puhmp-kin or, commonly, puhng-kin] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.a large, edible, orange-yellow fruit borne by a coarse, decumbent vine, Cucurbita pepo, of the gourd family.
2.the similar fruit of any of several related species, as C. maxima or C. moschata.
3.a plant bearing such fruit.
[Origin: 1640–50; alter. of pumpion (see -kin), var. of pompon < MF, nasalized var. of popon melon, earlier pepon < L pepōn- (s. of pepō) < Gk pépōn kind of melon]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Thesaurus Entries
  Synonym Collection v1.1Cite This Source
Main Entry:  pumpkin
Part of Speech:  noun
Synonyms:  fruit, squash, vine, gourd, jack-o'-lantern, pepo
Source:  Synonym Collection v1.1
Copyright © 2008 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC.
Encyclopedia Articles (102 more entries. View all »)
Columbia Electronic EncyclopediaCite This Source


pumpkin, common name for the genus Cucurbita of the family Cucurbitaceae (gourd family), a group that includes the pumpkins and squashes—the names may be used interchangeably and without botanical distinction. C. pepo, a species that includes varieties of pumpkin, vegetable marrow (a common European vegetable), and summer squash, has been cultivated so long that its wild form no longer exists and its place of origin is uncertain. If it is native to Asia it was introduced to America in prehistoric times; squashes, corn, and lima beans were the chief crops cultivated by pre-Columbian Native Americans. The pumpkin was among the fruits of the first Thanksgiving celebration of the Pilgrims; it has been a favorite pie filling for autumn festivities ever since, and its shell is carved into the Halloween jack-o'-lantern. The summer squashes include the pattypan, acorn, scallop, and summer crookneck squashes. Other squashes are varieties of C. moschata, including the crookneck squashes and the cheese pumpkin, and C. maxima, the winter squashes (e.g., the Hubbard and turban squashes), called pumpkins in Europe. Pumpkins are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Violales, family Cucurbitaceae. 
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004, Columbia University Press.
Licensed from Columbia University Press




View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web








Perform a new search, or try your search for "pumpkin" at: