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bottle gourd

1. An annual cucurbit vine (Lagenaria siceraria) with white flowers, widely cultivated for its smooth hard-shelled fruits.

2. The dried and hollowed-out shell of one of these fruits, often used as a container, a drinking utensil, a musical instrument, or a decorative object. In both senses also called calabash.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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