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Webster 1913 Edition

Noun.

[L.

colocynthis

, Gr. [GREEK]. Cf.

(Med.)

The light spongy pulp of the fruit of the bitter cucumber (

Citrullus colocynthis

, or

Cucumis colocynthis

), an Asiatic plant allied to the watermelon; coloquintida. It comes in white balls, is intensely bitter, and a powerful cathartic. Called also

bitter apple

bitter cucumber

bitter gourd

Noun.

The coloquintida, or bitter apple of the shops, a kind of gourd, from Aleppo and from Crete. It contains a bitter pulp, which is a drastic purge.