See Also: Gourd(medicine)
gourd(dictionary)
gourd(encyclopedia)
gourd(dictionary)
gourd tree(medicine)

gourd (iou)



gourd noun. ME.
[Anglo-Norman gurde, Old & mod. French gourde, repr. ult. Latin cucurbita.]
The fleshy, often large fruit of any of various trailing or climbing plants of the family Cucurbitaceae; spec. (also bottle-gourd) that of Lagenaria siceraria, native to the Old World tropics. Also, any of certain similar fruit from unrelated plants. ME.
b. The plant producing such a fruit. LME.
The dried, empty rind of such a fruit, used as a bottle, float, etc. Formerly also, a bottle or vessel of any kind. ME.
b. A gourdful. M18.
Heraldry. A charge representing such a fruit. E16.
The head. Freq. in out of one's gourd, crazy. US slang. M19.
Phrases etc.: bitter-gourd: see BITTER adjective & adverb. bottle gourd: see sense 1 above out of one's gourd: see sense 4 above. snake-gourd: see SNAKE noun. sour gourd: see SOUR adjective.
gourdful noun as much as a gourd will hold M19.