Obs. Forms: 4 concurbite, cocurbite, 4–9 cucurbite, 6–9 cucurbit. [a. F. cucurbite, ad. L. cucurbita a gourd, also a cupping-glass, in med. or mod.L., as in F. and Eng. (The living F. descendant of late L. curbita is courde, changed in mod.F. to courge, GOURD.)]

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  1.  A vessel or retort, originally gourd-shaped, used in distillation and other chemical (or alchemical) processes, or for keeping liquids, etc., in; forming the lower part of an alembic.

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c. 1386.  Chaucer, Can. Yeom. Prol. & T., 241. Cucurbites [v.r. concurbites, cocurbites] and Alambikes eek.

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1576.  Baker, Jewell of Health, 8. The same substance closed uppe in a Cucurbite or Glasse bodie.

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1660.  Boyle, New Exp. Phys.-Mech., Digress. 368. To distill Liquors out of tall Cucurbits.

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1794.  G. Adams, Nat. & Exp. Philos., II. xiii. 22. The alembic consists of two pieces, a boiler or cucurbit, and a covering called a capital or head.

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1823.  J. Badcock, Dom. Amusem., 25. Other substances … are … charred in cylinders or cucurbits.

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  2.  A cupping-glass.

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1541.  R. Copland, Galyen’s Terap., 2 E iij. The sayd medycament draweth to it from all the body in ye maner as cucurbyte and ventose doth the excrementes and superfluytees.

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  3.  Comb., as cucurbit-glass.

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1664.  Evelyn, Kal. Hort. (1729), 209. Setting the new-invented Cucurbit-Glasses of Beer mingled with Honey to entice Wasps, Flies, &c.

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