winter melon meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

winter melon

noun

Etymology Calque of Chinese 冬瓜 (dōngguā).

Benincasa hispida, a species of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) commonly cultivated in Asia.

Synonyms: ash gourd, ash pumpkin, Chinese preserving melon, fuzzy melon, tallow gourd, wax gourd, white gourd, winter gourd

winter melon

noun

Etymology Calque of French melon d'hiver.

Any late-maturing variety of true melon (Cucumis melo), such as honeydew melon (Inodorus Group), Cassaba melon (Cassaba Group), and Spanish melon (Ibericus Group).

Synonyms: late melon

winter melon

noun

Obsolete A type of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus).

There is also a winter-melon, large and with black seeds, exceedingly cooling, brought us from abroad, and the hotter climates, where they drink water after eating melons...1699, John Evelyn, Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.