"1. the hard-shelled fruit of any of various plants, especially those of Lagenaria siceraria (white-flowered gourd or bottle gourd) whose dried shell is used for bowls and other utensils, and Cucurbita pepo (yellow-flowered gourd) used ornamentally.
2. a plant bearing such a fruit.
3. a dried and excavated gourd shell used as a bottle, dipper, flask, etc.
4. a gourd-shaped, small-necked bottle or flask.Idioms
5.out of /off one's gourd, Slang. out of one's mind; crazy." There are many of these slang/wordplay terms: it's a gourdous day, best regourds, it's a gourd day in the neighborhood, OH my Gourd!
Continuing further, Dictionary.com offers an explanation for a gourd family: "noun, the plant family Cucurbitaceae, characterized by tendril-bearing vines, either trailing or climbing and having alternate, palmately-lobed leaves, often large yellow or greenish flowers, and many-seeded, fleshy fruit with a hard rind, and including the cucumber, gourd, melon, pumpkin, and squash."
All this would suggest the plant family Cucurbitaceae would be divided into groups including some edible and some inedible plants. However, there must be a deeper explanation. Plants are classified. the USDA offers a classification on its Natural Resources Classification Services page. What divisions are there, and how can they be applied to the periodic chart of gourds?
No comments:
Post a Comment