calabash

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A tree (known as the calabash tree

   A tree (known as the calabash tree; Crescentia cujete) native to Central and South America, the West Indies, and southern Florida, bearing large, round fruit used to make containers (sense 3); the fruit of this tree.

   • There was a teacher who taught children to read under a calabash tree, and this teacher's name was Goso.
2. 2

   The bottle gourd (calabash vine, Lagenaria siceraria), believed to have originated in…

   The bottle gourd (calabash vine, Lagenaria siceraria), believed to have originated in Africa, which is grown for its fruit that are used as a vegetable and to make containers (sense 3); the fruit of this plant.

   • Asian gourds grow like cucumbers […] and feature strong flavors that are often used in Indian, Chinese, and Southeast Asian soups and stews. Some types to try in your garden include the bitter gourd and calabash gourd.
3. 3

   A container made from the mature, dried shell of the fruit of one of the above plants

   A container made from the mature, dried shell of the fruit of one of the above plants; also, a similarly shaped container made from some other material.

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   1. 4

      A calabash and its contents

      A calabash and its contents; as much as fills such a container.

      • Amuta and the twelve-year-old have produced calabashes of palm wine and are busy pouring out healthy drams into the cupped hands of black and white alike.
      • It was dusk by the time Yandi reappeared, carrying a calabash of parboiled rice and a peanut and chili sauce on his head.
   2. 5

      A musical instrument, most commonly a drum or rattle, made from a calabash fruit.

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