Pronunciation: [ɡˈʊ͡əd] (IPA) 
The word "gourd" is spelled with a "g" followed by the letters "o-u-r-d". The IPA phonetic transcription for "gourd" is /ɡɔːrd/. The "g" is pronounced as a voiced velar stop, the "o" is pronounced as an open-mid back rounded vowel, the "u" is pronounced as a close back rounded vowel, the "r" is pronounced as an alveolar approximant, and the "d" is pronounced as a voiced dental stop. Together, these sounds create the word "gourd".
A gourd is a type of fruit that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, which also includes cucumbers, melons, and pumpkins. It is characterized by its hard outer shell, which is typically thick and durable. This shell is usually smooth and may have a variety of colors, ranging from green to orange to brown, depending on the specific type of gourd.
Gourds come in a wide array of shapes and sizes, ranging from small and round to large and elongated. They can vary significantly in their internal contents, with some gourds having edible flesh while others contain only seeds or are purely ornamental in nature. The fruit's flesh may be white, green, or yellow in color, and its taste can range from mildly sweet to bitter or tasteless.
Traditionally, gourds have been cultivated for a multitude of uses. They have been used as food sources, often consumed in soups, stews, or roasted as a vegetable. Additionally, gourds have been widely employed as containers due to their hollow interior and hard exterior. They have been hollowed out and dried, creating vessels for carrying or storing food, liquids, or other household items. Gourds have also been used in arts and crafts, where they are intricately carved, painted, or decorated for aesthetic purposes.
Overall, gourds are versatile fruits with a rich cultural and historical significance, appreciated for their food value, utility, and artistic potential in various societies across the globe.
The name of a plant which produces a large fruit somewhat of a bottle shape, a native of warm climates; also its fruit; a vessel made from its outer shell.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "gourd" originated from the Late Latin word "gurdo" which meant "large cucumber" or "cucurbit". This Latin term was borrowed from the Ancient Greek word "kýrtyos" which referred to a type of large, globular watermelon-like fruit. Ultimately, the Ancient Greek term is believed to have derived from an Indo-European root word meaning "curve" or "rounded". Over time, the word "gurd" was borrowed into Old French as "gorde", and it later evolved into the Middle English word "gourd".
