A cucumber is a long, green vegetable with a watery, crunchy inside, often eaten raw in salads or pickled. It grows on a vine and is related to melons and squash.
From Old French *cocombre*, from Latin *cucumis* “cucumber, gourd.” English spelling shifted over time, adding the *-ber* ending by analogy with words like *timber* or *chamber*.
The saying “cool as a cucumber” isn’t random—cucumbers are mostly water and actually feel cool to the touch when cut. You’re basically biting into a crunchy water bottle that grew on a vine.
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