pumpkin

B2 Topic:Food & Drink

Also spelled punkin

US /ˈpʌm(p).kɪn/ See IPA manual

Freq #6589

Meanings

1

noun
A large round orange fruit that grows on a vine and is used as food and for decoration.

We carved a scary face into the pumpkin for Halloween.
2

noun
A loving name for someone small and sweet, often a child.

Come here and give me a hug, pumpkin.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms pumpkins

Derived forms blumpkinbushpumpkincherpumplepumpkin-facedpumpkin-headedpumpkin-on-a-stickpumpkindompumpkineerpumpkingpumpkinificationpumpkinishpumpkinless

Related forms calabashcalabazagourd marrow squash

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

pumpkin vine
the trailing plant on which pumpkins grow

Noun + noun

Etymology

Alteration of pompion, pumpion (“pumpkin”) with the diminutive -kin, from Middle French pompon, from Latin pepō (whence English pepo), from Ancient Greek πέπων (pépōn, “large melon”), from πέπων (pépōn, “ripe”), from πέπτω (péptō, “ripen”). The first attestation is from 1647. The alternative theory that it may be from Massachusett pôhpukun (“grows forth round”) is false. The automotive sense is by fancied resemblance.

*pekʷ- Proto-Indo-European pompon Middle French pepō Latin πέπων Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Food & Drink

External links

# pumpkin

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈpʌm(p).kɪn/
**Frequency rank:** 6589

## Meanings
1. A large round orange fruit that grows on a vine and is used as food and for decoration.
2. A loving name for someone small and sweet, often a child.

## Examples
- We carved a scary face into the pumpkin for Halloween.
- Come here and give me a hug, pumpkin.

## Derived Forms
- blumpkin
- bushpumpkin
- cherpumple
- pumpkin-faced
- pumpkin-headed
- pumpkin-on-a-stick
- pumpkindom
- pumpkineer
- pumpking
- pumpkinification
- pumpkinish
- pumpkinless

## Related Forms
- calabash
- calabaza
- gourd
- marrow
- squash

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *pekʷ-
- Root: pompon
- Root: pepō
- Root: πέπων

## Etymology
Alteration of pompion, pumpion (“pumpkin”) with the diminutive -kin, from Middle French pompon, from Latin pepō (whence English pepo), from Ancient Greek πέπων (pépōn, “large melon”), from πέπων (pépōn, “ripe”), from πέπτω (péptō, “ripen”). The first attestation is from 1647. The alternative theory that it may be from Massachusett pôhpukun (“grows forth round”) is false. The automotive sense is by fancied resemblance.

## AI Etymology
Pumpkin: Alteration of pompion, pumpion (“pumpkin”) with the diminutive -kin, from Middle French pompon, from Latin pepō (whence English pepo), from Ancient Greek πέπων (pépōn, “large melon”), from πέπων (pépōn, “ripe”), from πέπτω (péptō, “ripen”). The first attestation is from 1647. The alternative theory that it may be from Massachusett pôhpukun (“grows forth round”) is false. The automotive sense is by fancied resemblance. In present-day English it covers a large round orange fruit that grows on a vine and is used as food and for decoration and a loving name for someone small and sweet, often a child. The wider family includes derived forms such as blumpkin, bushpumpkin, cherpumple, pumpkin-faced, pumpkin-headed and related forms such as calabash, calabaza, gourd, marrow.

## Topics
- Food & Drink

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