noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A viny plant, of species Citrullus colocynthis, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Asia. It produces a lemon-sized, yellowish, green-mottled, spongy, and extremely bitter fruit. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   The powdered pulp of this fruit, a powerful hepatic stimulant and hydragogue cathartic used as a strong laxative. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

bitter applebitter applebitter cucumberbitter melondesert gourddrug

Etymology

From Latin colocynthis, from Ancient Greek κολοκυνθίς (kolokunthís), ultimately Pre-Greek.

Related phrases

citrullus colocynthis

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.