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n. 1. See bottle gourd. 2. A tropical American tree (Crescentia cujete) bearing hard-shelled, gourdlike fruits on the trunk and main branches. Also called calabash tree. 3. The fruit of either of these or related plants. 4. a. A utensil, container, or musical instrument made from the dried, hollowed-out shell of these fruits. b. A smoking pipe with a curved stem and a large bowl made from the shell of a gourd. [French calebasse, gourd, from Spanish calabaza; perhaps akin to Spanish carapacho, tortoise shell, shell of a crab or other arthropod, and galápago, tortoise, and of pre-Roman origin.] |
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