gherkin

Where does the word "gherkin" come from? It comes from Dutch augurken, and was adopted directly into English (1660s).

Gherkin’s story begins in Dutch: augurken meant “a small cucumber.” A small cucumber, ultimately from a Slavic word related to the word for unripe. It reached English by 1660s as gherkin. Settled as the English word for the small pickling cucumber. Today, gherkin means a small cucumber, especially one used for pickling.

1. Stage 1 · Dutch · 1600s augurken "a small cucumber", a small cucumber, ultimately from a Slavic word related to the word for unripe.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1660s gherkin "a small cucumber used for pickling", settled as the English word for the small pickling cucumber.