pumpkin

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English

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Pumpkins
Seeds of pumpkin

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle French pompon, from Latin pepō, from Ancient Greek πέπων (pépōn, “large melon”), from πέπων (pépōn, “ripe”), from πέπτω (péptō, “ripen”). Suffixed with the now obsolete diminutive -kin. Doublet of pepo.

The alternative theory that it may be from Massachusett pôhpukun (“grows forth round”) is false.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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pumpkin (countable and uncountable, plural pumpkins)

  1. A domesticated plant, in species Cucurbita pepo, similar in growth pattern, foliage, flower, and fruit to the squash or melon.
  2. The round yellow or orange fruit of this plant.
    • 1904, L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz‎[1]:
      There were pumpkins in Mombi’s corn-fields, lying golden red among the rows of green stalks; and these had been planted and carefully tended that the four-horned cow might eat of them in the winter time.
  3. (uncountable) The color of the fruit of the pumpkin plant.
    pumpkin:  
  4. (Australia) Any of a number of cultivars from the genus Cucurbita; known in the US as winter squash.
  5. (US) A term of endearment for someone small and cute.

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Filip Larsson (2021 November 12) “Debunking a myth by chunking the etymology of pumpkin”, in Lund Language Diversity Forum – Lund University
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