gherkin

gherkin
/gerr"kin/, n.
1. the small, immature fruit of a variety of cucumber, used in pickling.
2. Also called bur gherkin, West Indian gherkin. the small, spiny fruit of a tropical vine, Cucumis anguria, of the gourd family, used in pickling.
3. the plant yielding this fruit.
4. a small pickle, esp. one made from this fruit.
[1655-65; < D gurken, pl. of gurk (G Gurke) < Slav; cf. Pol ogórek, Czech okurka Pers]

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▪ plant
also called  bur gherkin, or West Indian gherkin 
 (Cucumis anguria), trailing vine, of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), grown for its edible fruit. The gherkins sold in pickle mixtures are not C. anguria but rather are small pickled immature fruits of cultivars of the cucumber (C. sativus). A true gherkin has palmately lobed leaves with toothed edges, small flowers, and furrowed, prickly fruits about five centimetres (two inches) long that are borne on crooked stalks. Although its fruit is also pickled, the plant is frequently grown only as a curiosity.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Gherkin — Gher kin (g[ e]r k[i^]n), n. [D. agurkje, a dim. akin to G. gurke, Dan. agurke; cf. Pol. og[ o]rek, Bohem. okurka, LGr. aggoy rion watermelon, Ar. al khiy[=a]r, Per. khiy[=a]r.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Bot.) A kind of small, prickly cucumber, much… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gherkin — small cucumber used for pickling, 1660s, from early modern Du. gurken, augurken (late 16c.) small pickled cucumber, from E.Fris. augurk cucumber, probably from a Balto Slavic source (Cf. Polish ogórek cucumber ), possibly ultimately from Medieval …   Etymology dictionary

  • gherkin — ► NOUN ▪ a small pickled cucumber. ORIGIN Dutch gurkje, from Greek angourion cucumber …   English terms dictionary

  • gherkin — [gʉr′kin] n. [< Du or LowG gurken, cucumber < Pol ogórek < ModGr angouri < LGr angourion, watermelon < Pers angārah] 1. a plant (Cucumis anguria) of the gourd family bearing small, prickly, cucumberlike fruit 2. the fruit of this… …   English World dictionary

  • Gherkin — This article is about the fruit. For the London skyscraper known as the Gherkin, see 30 St Mary Axe. Gherkin Details Species Cucumis sa …   Wikipedia

  • Gherkin — 30 St Mary Axe (Swiss Re Tower) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gherkin — 30 St Mary Axe 41° 24′ 13″ N 2° 11′ 22″ E / 41.4035, 2.189583 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • gherkin — UK [ˈɡɜː(r)kɪn] / US [ˈɡɜrkɪn] noun [countable] Word forms gherkin : singular gherkin plural gherkins a small green vegetable preserved in vinegar and eaten cold with meals …   English dictionary

  • gherkin — [17] Etymologically, a gherkin may be a ‘little unripe one’. The word was borrowed from an assumed early Dutch *gurkkijn, a diminutive form of gurk, which probably came from Lithuanian agurkas. This in turn goes back via Polish ogurek to medieval …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • gherkin — paprastasis agurkas statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Moliūginių šeimos augalas (Cucumis sativus), paplitęs atogrąžų Azijoje. atitikmenys: lot. Cucumis sativus; Cucumis sativus var. anatolicus; Cucumis sativus var. anglicus; Cucumis sativus… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

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