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Glite Dictionary
Cucumis melo

Cucumis melo

8.1
A vine that makes sweet melons like cantaloupe or honeydew
  • noun
  • /ˈkuːkəmɪs ˈmɛloʊ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Cucumis melo
  • The sweet flesh of the Cucumis melo is prized in summer salads worldwide.

Examples

  • Farmers in the region specialize in growing Cucumis melo due to its popularity.

  • I love to eat Cucumis melo during the summer.

  • Botanists classify cantaloupe and honeydew as varieties of Cucumis melo.

  • Have you tried Cucumis melo in a fruit salad?

  • The sweet flesh of the Cucumis melo is prized in summer salads worldwide.

  • Farmers in the region specialize in growing Cucumis melo due to its popularity.

  • Have you tried Cucumis melo in a fruit salad?

Synonyms

muskmelon
vsCucumis melo
1 5.3

A sweet, fragrant fruit with orange flesh like a cantaloupe

is the botanical species term that also covers honeydew and related varieties
mushmelon
vsCucumis melo
  • Archaic
1 3.7

A round fruit with sweet orange flesh like a cantaloupe

is the species term covering both orange and other flesh colors

Surface Forms

Cucumis melo singular
Cucumis melos plural

Morphology

Cucumis + melo

The genus element 'Cucumis' clearly signals a plant taxon and the specific epithet 'melo' is cognate with English 'melon', so a learner who knows both parts could infer this refers to a melon-type plant. However, the Latin binomial convention and the precise sense (muskmelon / cantaloupe / honeydew varieties) are specialized knowledge and not fully predictable for an average B1 learner, making the relation only partially transparent.

Etymology

Cucumis melo comes from old Latin words: Cucumis means 'cucumber' and melo means 'melon'. So the name gives an easy picture of a cucumber-like vine that makes sweet melons like cantaloupe and honeydew.