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Glite Dictionary
Cucurbita maxima

Cucurbita maxima

7.7
A large squash plant that produces big fruits with sweet edible flesh
  • noun
  • /kuˈkɜr.bɪ.tə ˈmæk.sɪ.mə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : calabaza gigante
  • Farmers prize Cucurbita maxima for its thick, sweet flesh and long storage life.

Examples

  • The giant fruits of Cucurbita maxima are often displayed at harvest festivals.

  • Many traditional stews in South America feature Cucurbita maxima as a main ingredient.

  • I love cooking with Cucurbita maxima.

  • Have you tried Cucurbita maxima in your soup?

  • Many traditional stews in South America feature Cucurbita maxima as a main ingredient.

  • Farmers prize Cucurbita maxima for its thick, sweet flesh and long storage life.

  • The giant fruits of Cucurbita maxima are often displayed at harvest festivals.

Surface Forms

Cucurbita maxima singular
Cucurbita maximas plural

Morphology

Cucurbita + maxima

The phrase is a Latin binomial combining the genus name 'Cucurbita' with the epithet 'maxima' (etymologically meaning 'largest'), so compositionally it denotes a species of Cucurbita characterized as large. However, taxonomic Latin epithets and botanical names are specialized and not part of normal English composition patterns, and 'maxima' is not glossed here, so a typical B1 learner — even knowing the genus word — would likely find the full meaning (a particular squash species used for cooking) only partly predictable.

Etymology

The name Cucurbita maxima comes from Latin: Cucurbita meant 'gourd' and maxima meant 'largest'. So the name points to a type of squash that makes very large, sweet fruits often used for cooking and baking.