Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Cucumis sativus

Cucumis sativus

6.0
A climbing plant that makes long green cucumbers
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : pepino
  • The fruits of Cucumis sativus are popularly eaten fresh or pickled.

Examples

  • Farmers have been cultivating Cucumis sativus for thousands of years.

  • The Cucumis sativus is commonly used in salads.

  • Botanists classify the Cucumis sativus as part of the gourd family.

  • Many gardeners grow Cucumis sativus in their backyards.

  • Farmers have been cultivating Cucumis sativus for thousands of years to produce fresh cucumbers.

  • The fruits of Cucumis sativus are popularly eaten fresh or pickled, making them a staple in many dishes.

  • Many gardeners grow Cucumis sativus in their backyards for use in salads and sandwiches.

Synonyms

cucumber
vsCucumis sativus
88 1.0

A long green fruit with crisp watery flesh often eaten raw or pickled

refers to the plant rather than the eaten fruit
cucumber vine
vsCucumis sativus
3.0

A climbing garden plant with long green vegetables used in salads

is the formal scientific name used in botany for that plant

Surface Forms

Cucumis sativus singular
Cucumis sativi plural

Morphology

Cucumis + sativus

This is a Latin binomial (genus + species) rather than a normal English compositional phrase; knowing 'Cucumis' only signals a plant genus but the species epithet 'sativus' is not a common English word or given definition, so the specific meaning 'cucumber' cannot be derived. Scientific names follow taxonomic conventions unfamiliar to a typical B1 learner, making the overall meaning unpredictable from the parts.

Etymology

Cucumis sativus comes from old Latin words: Cucumis meant 'cucumber' and sativus meant 'sown' or 'grown', so the name simply says a 'cucumber that people grow'.