cucurbit

/kjuˈkɜː.bɪt/

//kjuˈkɜː.bɪt// noun

"cucurbit" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cucurbit” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any member of the family Cucurbitaceae of gourds.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cucurbit · cucurbit · English

cucurbit · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for cucurbit
PropertyValue
Headwordcucurbit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kjuˈkɜː.bɪt/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cucurbit” in English

cucurbitfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cucurbit is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /kjuˈkɜː.bɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

cucurbit has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cocurbite, concurbite, cucurbita, cucurbite, from Middle French cucurbite and Latin cucurbita. Doublet of gourd. The correct English form is cucurbit, spelled C-U-C-U-R-B-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any member of the family Cucurbitaceae of gourds.
  2. 2
    A receptacle, originally gourd-shaped and used for liquids or chemicals; a bottle or other container.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how cucurbit appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Our efforts are directed against species of African origin because these include several notorious pests (such as medfly, Ceratitis capitata), as well as some of the most poorly known ones (species of Dacus feeding on cucurbits).
  2. When Sulayman saw me, he took refuge with Allah and bade me embrace the True Faith and obey his behests; but I refused, so sending for this cucurbit he shut me up therein, and stopped it over with lead

Etymology

From Middle English cocurbite, concurbite, cucurbita, cucurbite, from Middle French cucurbite and Latin cucurbita. Doublet of gourd.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cucurbit"?
"cucurbit" is spelled C-U-C-U-R-B-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /kjuˈkɜː.bɪt/.
What does "cucurbit" mean?
As a noun, "cucurbit" means: Any member of the family Cucurbitaceae of gourds.
How do you pronounce "cucurbit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cucurbit" is /kjuˈkɜː.bɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "cucurbit"?
From Middle English cocurbite, concurbite, cucurbita, cucurbite, from Middle French cucurbite and Latin cucurbita. Doublet of gourd. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list