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Ljubljana, Slovenia

I promised to compile a list of words for pumpkin in different languages that you sent last year, so here it is. Please check if the names and spelling are correct and send more names/synonyms/pronunciations if you like. After that I will forward everything to pumpkinook (http://www.pumpkinnook.com/commune/language.htm)

Basque: kuia
Belgian: pompoen
Italian: zucca
Furlan (NV Italy): kooce ("co-ochae")
French: pompion, potiron, citrouille
German: kuerbis
Polish: dynia
Russian: tikva (“tickwa”)
Serbian: tikva (the same as in Russian).
Slovenian: buca (“boocha”)
South America (Spanish): zapallo (calabaza is reserved for the thin hard skin small ones used to drink.)
South USA: "punkin"...pronounced "pun cane" or the civilized version "pun kin"
Spanish calabaza (calabayzah)
Swedish: pumpa
Welsh: pwmpen

I find it very interesting that in the majority of languages “pumpkin” is a synonym for a head/skull or somebody who is smart. Is this only because of head-like appearance of pumpkins… or people already in ancient times put that much effort and thinking in pumpkin growing so that the pumpkin growers were regarded as smart(asses)? I guess we’ll never know…

Oh yeah, it would be interesting to know the sex of the pumpkins in different languages too.

Jernej

3/5/2005 8:47:15 AM

Esneux / Liège / BELGIUM

In rench, "courge" is a synonym.
I would like to know who says "pompion"??? Never haerd this word.

UN potiron
UNE citrouille
UNE courge

3/5/2005 8:55:09 AM

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Thanks Sophie, as I said I compiled these words from the previous thread. That is why I ask everyone to check them... I can garantee only for Slovenian spelling :-)

3/5/2005 9:03:01 AM

Azores,terceira Island

in portugal pumpkins are called abóbora...Ryan

3/5/2005 10:28:35 AM

Esneux / Liège / BELGIUM

Ok, I have checked. I don't think that pompion is a real word in French. Perhaps an alteration?
Ask the others French growers.

3/5/2005 2:23:25 PM

France

from south of france I never heard the word pompion about pumpkin, but sometimes "calebasse" or "coucourde".

3/6/2005 1:31:56 AM

Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

I would add ãìòú (pronounced D'la'at), the modern Hebrew word for Pumpkin.

3/6/2005 2:51:52 AM

Esneux / Liège / BELGIUM

coucourde isn't it in "provencal?" (Marcel pagnol use this word to call "courge du Siam")
Calebasse is a particular sort of pumpkin.

3/6/2005 4:05:29 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Arabic: qar'a sudani, qrei'a
Chinese: meiguo nan gua, tao nan gua
Danish: græskar, centnergraeskar
Dutch: courgette, zucchetti, kalebas, reuzenkalebas
French: citrouille, courgette, courge pépon, potiron
German: Garten-Kürbis, Chiromon-Kürbis
Hebrew: qishu, dela'at
Hindi: chappan kaddu, kumra, safedkaddu, vilayati kaddu
Italian: zucca, zucchini, zucchino, zuccheti, zucheta
Japanese: pepo-kabocha, seiyou-kabocha, uri-kabocha
Malay: labu ayer, labu manis, mendelikai, semangka
Portuguese: aboborinha, aboborita, abóbora porqueira
Russian: tykva tverdokoraja, tykva krupnoplodnaja
Spanish (Mexico): ayotli, calabacin, calabaza, gueto bichi, gueto hueche, k'uum, queto hueche, zapallito, zapallo
Spanish (Paraguay): purudie
Tagalog: kalabasa
Tanzania: malenge
Tunisia: kraa
Yoruba: elegede, apala, esin

Found this while googling

3/11/2005 3:06:27 PM