bitter melon
noun/ˈbɪtəɹ ˈmɛlən/
Etymology Calque from Chinese 苦瓜 (kǔguā).
1
A vine, Momordica charantia, which produces a bitter yet edible fruit.
- Bees often convey the pollen from the blossoms of a bitter melon vine to those of a sweet variety and completely change the character and flavor of its fruit.1896, The World and Its People, Book 7, Silver, Burdett, page 430:
2
The fruit of the bitter melon vine.
3
The colocynth, Citrullus colocynthis.
4
Australia A similar fruit-bearing vine, Citrullus lanatus (Citroides Group).
- Synonyms
- balsam pear, bitter gourd, karela, cerasee