Also 6–8 collo-, 6 colly-, 7 colliquintida. [a. med.L. (also Sp., Pg., It.) coloquintida, f. *coloquinthid-, colocynthid-, stem of colocynthis. The qu- was to preserve the k sound of Gr. κολοκύνθιδ-.] The COLOCYNTH.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVII. xl. (1495), 626. Coloquintida is a manere herbe that is moost bytter … and is lyke to the comyn Gourd and hath rounde fruyte.
1551. Turner, Herbal, I. N ij b. The inner parte of the fruyte of coloquintida hath the natur to purge … made in pilles with honied water.
1604. Shaks., Oth., I. iii. 355. The Food … as bitter as Coloquintida.
1606. Day, Ile of Guls, I. iv. (1881), 24. Looke a scance like a Pothecaries wife pounding Colliquintida.
1616. Chapman, Batrachom., 4. I eat no pot-herb … nor coloquintidas.
1856. R. A. Vaughan, Mystics (1860), II. 158. She [Madame Guyon] … put coloquintida in her food.
b. fig. referring to its bitterness.
1622. S. Ward, Life of Faith in Death (1627), 2. The least dram of this Coloquintida [fear of death] will marre the relish of all his sweetes.
1648. C. Walker, Hist. Independ., I. 136. The Ordinance … was passed in the House of Commons, with this Coloquintida in it.
a. 1734. North, Exam., III. ix. § 2 (1740), 648. A Bundle of Wormwood and Colloquintida gathered out of cancred Libels.
1829. Blackw. Mag., XXVI. 442. A dose of wordy Coloquintida.
