Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A variety of winter squash (Cucurbita moschata or C. argyrosperma) having a narrow often curved neck and a striped rind.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A fruit, mostly oblong or crooked, of Cucurbita moschata, sometimes called squash and sometimes pumpkin.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Cucurbita mixta, the winter squash.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun globose or ovoid squash with striped grey and green warty rind
  • noun plant bearing squash having globose to ovoid fruit with variously striped grey and green and white warty rinds

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Speculation that the term derives from a Native American language is unsubstantiated.

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Examples

  • Despite their reputation for drought tolerance C. mixta varieties (or cushaw squash) were believed to be strictly hot desert or humid-tropical varieties, unable to mature in our cool climate.

    Gardening Without Irrigation: or without much, anyway Steve Solomon

  • But the cushaw brings real excitement to her voice.

    post-gazette.com - News 2010

  • But the cushaw brings real excitement to her voice.

    post-gazette.com - News 2010

  • He loved mashed potatoes and peas, cushaw with brown sugar syrup and homemade biscuits and fried apples and I would take him a plate now and then just to find that he'd usually have something waiting for me in return.

    unknown title 2009

  • So, while you can probably grow butternut, cushaw and a summer squash and have no crossing, your zucchini and Halloween pumpkin will cross.

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows 2009

  • Plant Nomenclature • Family Cucurbitaceae - Genus Cucurbita • species pepo - summer squash, pumpkin, acorn squash maxima - hubbard, buttercup, kabocha moschata - butternut, Long Island Cheese mixta - variety or cultivar Zephyr, Howden, Tiptop Blue Ballet, bonbon Waltham butternut Green striped cushaw - Also in the Cucurbitaceae family: Cucumis melo

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows 2009

  • In November, the basement is full of butternut squash, sweet potatoes, white potatoes and cushaw squash.

    Signs of the Times 2009

  • “Mr. K sent three new kinds of teparies,” my father was saying, “plus a cushaw squash I don’t think we’ve seen before, some kind of gourd seeds, and a sixty-day corn—all late-season varieties to plant before the rains.”

    KOKOPELLI’S FLUTE WILL HOBBS 1995

Comments

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  • I'm told most tinned pumpkin is actually cushaw as it is less stringy and makes better pies. Not that you can get tinned pumpkin in Australia. Or that there is a flurry of pumpkin pie making going on. Oh no.

    November 24, 2009

  • Do I smell sarcasm in the air???

    November 24, 2009

  • Nae. I came across this factlet while looking at pumpkin pie recipes. A lot of them seem to recommend tinned pumpkin. I can't ever remember seeing it in Australia. But in any case I bought a butternut pumpkin at the market on Sunday and haven't done anything with it yet. There are a lot of pie recipes around at the moment so I think I'll have a go. But as I'm not actually having a capital T Thanksgiving I don't have to prepare a pie big enough to feed a horde, do I? Or do it on a particular day. So no flurry :-)

    November 24, 2009