squash

Where does the word "squash" come from? It comes from Narragansett askutasquash, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Squash’s story begins in Narragansett: askutasquash meant “a vegetable eaten raw.” Literally "eaten raw or uncooked", describing the vegetable. It reached English by 1600s as squash. Shortened by English colonists in New England. Today, squash means an edible gourd-family vegetable, eaten as summer or winter squash.

1. Stage 1 · Narragansett · pre-1600s askutasquash "a vegetable eaten raw", literally "eaten raw or uncooked", describing the vegetable.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s squash "a gourd-family vegetable", shortened by English colonists in New England.