colocynth

English

Alternative forms

• colocynthis

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒ.lə.sɪnθ/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑ.lə.sɪnθ/
• Rhymes: -ɪnθ
• Hyphenation: co‧lo‧cynth

Noun

colocynth (countable and uncountable, plural colocynths)

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.
2. The powdered pulp of this fruit, a powerful hepatic stimulant and hydragogue cathartic used as a strong laxative.

Synonyms

• (Citrullus colocynthis): bitter apple, bitter cucumber, bitter melon, egusi, vine of Sodom, desert gourd

Derived terms

• colocynthin

Translations

plant or fruit of the Citrullus colocynthis

Arabic: حَنْظَل m (ḥanẓal), عَلْقَم m (ʕalqam) Catalan: coloquinta Czech: kolokvinta obecná f Finnish: kolokvintti (fi) French: coloquinte (fr) f German: Koloquinte f, Pomaquinte f, Purgiergurke f, Bitterapfel m, Echte Zitrulle f, Teufelsapfel m, Koloquintenkürbis m Hebrew: אֲבַטִּיחַ הַפַּקּוּעָה m (ʾaḇaṭíaḥ ha-paqqūʿā) Italian: please add this translation if you can Kurdish: Central Kurdish: تاڵکە (tallke), گوژاڵک (gujallk) Ottoman Turkish: آجی الما (acı elma) Persian: کبست (fa) (kabast) Polish: kolokwinta f Portuguese: colocíntida (pt) f Punjabi: ਤੁੰਮਾ m (tummā), ਕੌੜਤੁੰਮਾ m (kauṛtummā) Russian: колоци́нт (ru) m (kolocínt), колокви́нт (ru) m (kolokvínt) Sanskrit: त्रपुस (sa) (trapusa), तारक (sa) (tāraka) Spanish: coloquíntida f, tuera f Swedish: kolokvint c Turkish: acı elma (tr), ebücehil karpuzu, acıhıyar, acıkavun, it hıyarı (tr) Ukrainian: колоци́нт m (kolocýnt), колокви́нт m (kolokvýnt) Volapük: (plant) kolozünt, (fruit) kolozüntafluk

Further reading

• colocynth on Wikipedia.Wikipedia