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

What's next: Gothic velvets and silks, woodland scenes lifted from fantasy novels and gourds in shades of cream, brown or green are biting into traditional haunted home decor, experts say. —Sami Sparber, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024

That includes the seasonal question of pumpkins versus gourds. —Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

To embrace the season’s most iconic gourd, opt for these ultra-chic velvet pumpkins that come in an elegant champagne hue. —Melissa Epifano, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024

Ring wouldn’t identify a decorative pumpkin but associated with the gourd an orange-vested landscaper who was bundling leaves into a white sack. —Paresh Dave, WIRED, 9 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