ENGLISH
REFERENCE

cucumber

n. countable
A2 Elementary US //ˈkjukəmbɝ// UK //kjˈuːkʌmbɐ// cu·cum·ber Informal
Definition

n. a long, green vegetable that is cool and crunchy. You often eat it raw in salads or with sandwiches.

n. a long, cylindrical fruit with smooth green skin and crisp, watery flesh, typically consumed raw as a vegetable.


SIMPLE

I put a slice of cucumber on my sandwich.

CONTEXTUAL

She added diced cucumber to the salad for a fresh, crunchy texture.

COMPLEX

The cool, crisp slices of cucumber provided a refreshing contrast to the rich, spicy flavors of the curry.

Origin

From Middle English cucumer, cucumber, from Old French cocombre, ultimately from Latin cucumis, cucumerem (possibly through an Old Occitan intermediate). Probably of Pre-Italic substrate origin.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated May 4, 2026