cucumiform

English

WOTD – 2 May 2012

Alternative forms

• cucumeriform (mycology, rare)

Etymology

First attested in a glossary in 1826, in a fragment in 1838, and in a grammatical sentence in 1892; formed by the suffixation of cucumi-, the short i-stem of the Latin cucumis (“cucumber”), with the English -form; compare the earlier New Latin cucumeriformis (1703), cucumiformis (1791) and French cucumeriforme (1777), cucumiforme (1804).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kyo͞okyo͞oʹmĭfôrm, IPA^(key): /kjuːˈkjuːmɪfɔːm/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

cucumiform (comparative more cucumiform, superlative most cucumiform)

1. Shaped like a cucumber; having the form of a cylinder tapered and rounded at the ends, and possibly curved.
   • 1826, William Kirby, William Spence, An Introduction to Entomology‎^[1], volume IV, page 265:

     Cucumiform (Cucumiformis). Cucumber-shaped. Whose longitudinal section is oblong, and transverse circular.

   • 1955, William Gaddis, The Recognitions, Harcourt, Brace, page 329:

     She was there, tumbling the marvelous cucumiform weights down upon a chest which looked as though it would cave in under such manna.

   • 2011, Terry Pratchett,, Snuff: Discworld Novel 39‎^[2], page 17:

     Uncharacteristically for him, Lord Vetinari laughed out loud. He very nearly gloated at the downfall of his enemy and slammed his copy of the Ankh-Morpork Times, open at the crossword page, on to his desk. ‘Cucumiform, shaped like a cucumber or a variety of squash! l thumb my nose at you, madam!’

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:cucumiform.

Related terms

• cucumber

Translations

shaped like a cucumber

• Finnish: kurkkumainen, kurkun muotoinen
• French: cucumiforme (fr)
• German: gurkenförmig
• Latin: cucumiformis
• Russian: имеющий (ru) (imejuščij) форму (ru) (formu) огурца (ru) (ogurca)

References

• “Cucumiform, a.” listed on page 1,237 of volume II (C) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles [1st ed., 1893]
    Cucumiform (kiukiū·mifǭɹm), a. rare.^—⁰ [f. L. cucumis cucumber + -form.] Of the shape of a cucumber. [¶] 1860 Worcester cites Maunder.
• “cucumiform, a.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]