Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Cucumber?

\Cu"cum*ber\ (k?`k?m-b?r, formerly kou"k?m-b?r), n.[OE. cucumer, cocumber, cucumber, fr. L. cucmis, gen. cucumeris; cf. OF. cocombre,F. concombre.] (Bot.) A creeping plant, and its fruit, of several species of the genus {Cucumis}, esp. {Cucumis sativus}, the unripe fruit of which is eaten either fresh or picked. Also, similar plants or fruits of several other genera. See below. {Bitter cucumber} (Bot.), the {Citrullus or Cucumis Colocynthis}. See {Colocynth}. {Cucumber beetle.} (Zo["o]l.) (a) A small, black flea-beetle ({Crepidodera cucumeris}), which destroys the leaves of cucumber, squash, and melon vines. (b) The squash beetle. {Cucumber tree}. (a) A large ornamental or shade tree of the genus {Magnolia} {(M. acuminata)}, so called from a slight resemblance of its young fruit to a small cucumber. (b) An East Indian plant ({Averrhoa Bilimbi}) which produces the fruit known as bilimbi. {Jamaica cucumber}, {Jerusalem cucumber}, the prickly-fruited gherkin ({Cucumis Anguria}). {Snake cucumber}, a species ({Cucumis flexuosus}) remarkable for its long, curiously-shaped fruit. {Squirting cucumber}, a plant ({Ecbalium Elaterium}) whose small oval fruit separates from the footstalk when ripe and expels its seeds and juice with considerable force through the opening thus made. See {Elaterium}. {Star cucumber}, a climbing weed ({Sicyos angulatus}) with prickly fruit.