| 释义 |
gherkin|ˈgɜːkɪn|
Also 7–8 ger-, girkin, (7 gerckem, gurchen), 9 gurken.
[a. early mod.Du. *gurkkijn, *agurkkijn (now gurkje, augurkje), dim. of agurk, augurk (also shortened gurk), cucumber; the proximate source is uncertain (cf. Ger. gurke, earlier also gurchen, Sw. gurka, Da. agurk), but the word must have been indirectly adopted from some Slav. lang.: cf. Slovenish ugorek, angurka, Polish ogurek, ogorek, Czech okurka, Serbian ugorka (the Hungarian ugorka, Lith. agurkas, Lettish gurkjis, are adopted from Slav.); these words have a diminutive suffix, which is replaced by another suffix of like function in the Russian ogurets, Church Slav. ogourĭtsĭ. The primary form is not recorded in Slav., but appears in late Gr. ἀγγούριον, ἀγκούριον (mod.Gr. ἀγγοῦρι), whence It. anguria a kind of cucumber, F. angourie, angurie (Cotgr.), Sp. angúrria (obs.) water-melon: see Anguria.
The ultimate origin is unknown. Arabic has ﻋajūr cucumber, but Lane regards this as adopted from Gr. The Persian angūr is sometimes given as the etymon, but it means ‘a grape’.]
A young green cucumber, or a cucumber of a small kind, used for pickling.
1661Pepys Diary 1 Dec., We..opened the glass of girkins..which are rare things. 1693Phil. Trans. XVII. 684 The Fruit is..eaten with Rice and other Meats, as we do Gurchens and Olives. 1712tr. Pomet's Hist. Drugs I. 7 There is another kind of Fennel..which we make Vinegar off to sell in Winter with girkins. 1834Landor Exam. Shaks. Wks. 1846 II. 290 One of these Greeks methinks thrown into the pickle-pot, would be a treasure to the house⁓wife's young gherkins. 1837Penny Cycl. VIII. 211/2 The best sorts of cucumbers are, for gurkens, the Russian [etc.]. 1860Delamer Kitch. Gard. 126 Gherkins, or young cucumbers for pickling, are mostly, in England, half-grown, late-produced fruit.
attrib.1882Garden 1 Apr. 222/1 Gherkin Cucumber beds. |