pumpkin
pronunciation
How to pronounce pumpkin in British English:
UK [ˈpʌmpkɪn]
How to pronounce pumpkin in American English:
US [ˈpʌmpkɪn]
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- Noun:
- a coarse vine widely cultivated for its non-keeping large pulpy round orange fruit with firm orange skin and numerous seeds; subspecies of Cucurbita pepo include the summer squashes and a few autumn squashes
- usually large pulpy deep-yellow round fruit of the squash family maturing in late summer or early autumn
Word Origin
- pumpkin
- pumpkin: [17] Much as they look as though they had been blown up with a pump, pumpkins have no etymological connection with pumps. Greek pépōn denoted a variety of melon that was not eaten until it was fully ripe (the word was a noun use of the adjective pépōn ‘ripe’). Latin took it over as pepō, and passed it on to Old French as *pepon. Through a series of vicissitudes this evolved via popon to early modern French pompon. This was borrowed into English in the 16th century, and soon altered to pompion; and in the 17th century the native diminutive suffix -kin was grafted on to it to produce pumpkin.
- pumpkin (n.)
- 1640s, alteration of pompone, pumpion "melon, pumpkin" (1540s), from Middle French pompon, from Latin peponem (nominative pepo) "melon," from Greek pepon "melon," probably originally "cooked (by the sun)," hence "ripe;" from peptein "to cook" (see cook (n.)). Pumpkin-pie is recorded from 1650s. Pumpkin-head, American English colloquial for "person with hair cut short all around" is recorded from 1781. Vulgar American English alternative spelling punkin attested by 1806. America's a dandy place: The people are all brothers: And when one's got a punkin pye, He shares it with the others. [from "A Song for the Fourth of July, 1806," in "The Port Folio," Philadelphia, Aug. 30, 1806]
Example
- 1. Both pine nuts and pumpkin seeds are sexual adjuvants .
- 2. Did you know that pumpkin seeds are a healthy snack ?
- 3. Incredible 3d pumpkin carvings made by american sculptor ray villafane .
- 4. Ray villafane is famous for creating 3d pumpkin carvings every halloween .
- 5. Obama 's favorite thanksgiving dishes are turkey and pumpkin pie , according to the white house .