Also 8 squosh. [Abbreviation o Narragansett Indian asquutasquash, f. asq raw, uncooked: cf. SQUANTER-SQUASH. (The -ash is a plural ending, as in succotash.)]
1. A gourd produced by one or other of various species of trailing herbaceous annual plants belonging to the genus Cucurbita or N. O. Cucurbitaceæ, esp. a fruit of the bush gourd, C. Melopepo.
1643. R. Williams, Key Ind. Lang., 103. Askutasquash, their Vine aples, which the English from them call Squashes, about the bignesse of Apples, of severall colours, sweet, light, wholesome, refreshing.
1669. W. Simpson, Hydrol. Chym., 259. In a weighed quantity of digged earth … he set the seed of a squash.
1721. Mortimer, Husb. (ed. 4), II. 174. Squashes are a small sort of Pumpkin lately brought into request.
1764. T. Hutchinson, Hist. Mass., I. (1765), 35. A dearth … caused them to fall upon their pompions, squoshes, &c. before they were ripe.
1857. A. Gray, First Less. Bot. (1866), 10. If we strip off the coats from the large and flat seed of a Squash or Pumpkin, we find nothing but the embryo within.
1877. W. Matthews, Ethn. & Phil. Hidatsa Ind., 26. Squashes are cut in thin slices and dried; the dried squash is usually cooked by boiling.
b. Used in sing. with the, or without article.
1764. Harmer, Observ., iv. § xxxii. 205. Dr. Russell tells us that the squash comes in towards the end of September, and continues all the year.
1878. Black, Green Past., xl. Not at all desirous of eating at one and the same time boiled beans,… green corn, squash and sweet potatoes.
1902. Fortn. Rev., June, 1007. The divine ‘sweet corn,’ and ‘squash,’ and ‘sweet potatoes.’
2. One or other species of Cucurbita producing the above fruit; the genus as a whole.
1661. Boyle, Scept. Chem., II. 107. A selected seed of … Squash, which is an Indian kind of Pompion, that Growes a pace.
1731. P. Miller, Gard. Dict., Melopepo, The Squash.
1766. J. Bartram, Jrnl., 6 Jan., 26. Here is a native gourd or squash, which runs 20 foot up the trees.
1866. Treas. Bot., 358/1. Cucurbita melopepo, the Squash, forms a bush about 3 ft. high.
1884. De Candolle’s Orig. Cultivated Pl., 252. The Cucurbitaceæ called squash by the Anglo-Americans.
3. With distinguishing terms: (see quots.).
1731. P. Miller, Gard. Dict., s.v. Melopepo, The common or fat Squash…. The large white Squash…. The Citron-shap’d Squash…. The warted Squash.
1791. W. Bartram, Carolina, 137. It is exceedingly curious to behold the Wild Squash climbing over the lofty limbs of the trees.
1845–50. Mrs. Lincoln, Lect. Bot., App. 95/2. Cucurbita ovifera, egg-squash. Ibid., 96/1. C. verrucosa, club squash.
1846–50. A. Wood, Class-bk. Bot., 272. Cucurbita Melopepo. Flat Squash. Ibid., C. verrucosa. Warted Squash. Club Squash. Crook-neck Squash.
1847. Darlington, Amer. Weeds, etc. (1860), 142. Cucurbita Melopepo.… Round Squash.
1866. Treas. Bot., 359/1. The Custard Marrow Squash, and the improved Custard Marrow or Bush Squash. Ibid. (1874), Suppl. 1344/1. Summer Squash, Cucurbita Pepo. Winter Squash, Cucurbita maxima.
4. attrib., as squash bed, pie, seed, vine, etc.; squash-bug, one or other of various insects infesting or injurious to squashes; squash gourd, (-melon) pumpkin, the common bush gourd or squash, Cucurbita Melopepo.
Also, in recent Amer. Dicts., squash-beetle, (-vine) borer, flea-beetle, ladybird, and ladybug, as names of insects infesting squashes.
1847. Webster, *Squash-bug, the common name of a bug injurious to squashes.
1866. Mrs. Stowe, Little Foxes, 124. In the actual garden there are … squash-bugs for all the melons.
1872. O. W. Holmes, Poet Breakf.-t., ix. Dor-bugs and squash-bugs and such undesirable objects of affection to all but naturalists.
1823. Crabb, Technol. Dict., s.v., *Squash-gourd, the Cucurbita melopepo of Linnæus.
1842. Loudon, Suburban Hort., 605. *The Squash-melon pumpkin, or bush gourd.
1883. J. T. Trowbridge, in Harper’s Mag., Jan., 213/1. Cranberry sauce, and thick *squash pies.
1823. Southey, Lett. (1856), III. 391. With regard to these said quasheys (which, I believe, is their name,—first cousins to the *squash pumpkin).
1708. S. Sewall, Diary, 15 Jan. This day Mr. Belchar brings me *Squash-Seeds from Dedham.
1725. S. Willard, in Early Rec. Lanc., Mass. (1884), 238. They found 2 wigwarms;… they also found a paddle and some *squash shells in one of them.
1751. J. Bartram, Observ. Trav. Pennsylv., etc. 62. We dined on Indian corn and *squash soop, and boiled bread.
1857. A. Gray, First Less. Bot. (1866), 39. The Cucumber and *Squash tribe.
1750. G. Hughes, Barbados, 137. The *Squash-vine is long and trailing.
1855. Poultry Chron., III. 297. They will nearly get their living on insects without injuring the vegetables. Among squash vines they are indispensable.
