Gourd

gord, the fruit of a vine allied to the squash, pumpkin, and melon. Gourds have hard, thin shells, which fit them well for ornaments and household utensils. Some of the tribes of interior Africa were found by Dr. Livingstone to have almost no other utensils; dippers, bottles, baskets, and buckets being made from the calabash gourd. The fruit of the calabash tree of the West Indies is used by the natives for similar purposes, whence its name. Some idea of the variety of shapes may be had from names selected from a catalog, as bonnet, dipper, spoon, powder horn, ostrich egg, etc. See Pumpkin; Squash