COLOCYNTH

Etymology

Noun

colocynth (countable and uncountable, plural colocynths)

A viny plant, Citrullus colocynthis, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Asia. It produces a lemon-sized, yellowish, green-mottled, spongy, and extremely bitter fruit.

The powdered pulp of this fruit, a powerful hepatic stimulant and hydragogue cathartic used as a strong laxative.

Synonyms

• (Citrullus colocynthis): bitter apple, bitter cucumber, egusi, vine of Sodom, desert gourd

Source: Wiktionary

Col"ocynth, n. Etym: [L. colocynthis, Gr. Coloquintida.] (Med.)

Definition: The light spongy pulp of the fruit of the bitter cucumber (Citrullus, or Cucumis, colocynthis), an Asiatic plant allied to the watermelon; coloquintida. It comes in white balls, is intensely bitter, and a powerful cathartic. Called also bitter apple, bitter cucumber, bitter gourd.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition