gourd

noun

ˈgȯrd  ˈgu̇rd 

plural gourds

1

: any of a family (Cucurbitaceae, the gourd family) of chiefly herbaceous tendril-bearing vines including the cucumber, melon, squash, and pumpkin

2

: the fruit of a gourd : pepo

especially : any of various hard-rinded inedible fruits of plants of two genera (Lagenaria and Cucurbita) often used for ornament or for vessels and utensils

Walking through the various barrios, you might see people sharing sips from a little gourd with a straw in it.

—Bruce Sanderson

… a basketball-size gourd draped with a veil of wooden beads—to incite individual bursts of improvisation from the orchestra's players.

—The New Yorker

see also out of one's gourd

Examples of gourd in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From October 12 to 13, Kristensen, a real estate appraiser from Happy Valley, Oregon, spent 26 hours paddling his enormous gourd down the Columbia River. —Owen Clarke, Outside Online, 30 Oct. 2024

Unsurprisingly, pumpkins belong to the cucurbits family—which is just a fancy name for squashes and gourds and also includes other edible favorites like zucchini, cucumbers, and watermelons. —Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2024

At the Safeway 51st annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, all eyes were on the Gienger gourd from the start. —Aric Crabb, The Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2024

Protecting Your Pumpkins Keep insects and animals away from your pumpkins, especially those that have been opened up and carved, by coating the gourds in a generous spray of hairspray. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gourde, from Anglo-French gurde, gourde, from Latin cucurbita

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing gourd

• bottle gourd
• buffalo gourd
• out of one's gourd

Kids Definition

gourd

noun

ˈgō(ə)rd  ˈgȯ(ə)rd 

ˈgu̇(ə)rd

1

: any of a family of tendril-bearing vines (as the cucumber, melon, squash, and pumpkin)

2

: the usually hard-shell many-seeded fruit of a gourd

gourdlike

-ˌlīk

adjective