Pumpkin

a member of the gourd family, closely akin to the squash. Probably native to Central America. At all events the American Indians cultivated pumpkins in fields of corn as is done by their white successors to this day. With pumpkin rhyming so well with bumpkin, and "pumpkin head," a proverbial expression for want of mother wit, it might seem that this honest old vegetable would be left by the poets as hopelessly prosaic; but James Whitcomb Riley has done very well in When the Frost Is on the Pumpkin, and Whittier's The Pumpkin recalls the oven and the traditions of Thanksgiving admirably. Boys make Hallowe'en jack-o'-lanterns by cutting holes in the side of a pumpkin-two narrow slits for eyes, a triangular hole for a nose, and a wide horizontal slit for a mouth. Set in a window with a candle inside of it, the pumpkin "jack" is quite effective. For botanical characteristics, see SQUASH. See also VEGETABLES.