A large, round, orange squash with thick skin and many seeds inside, often used as food or decoration, especially in autumn.
From earlier *pumpion*, from French *pompon*, from Latin *pepon*, from Greek *pepon* meaning 'large melon'. Over time, the word shifted in English to refer to the familiar orange squash.
Pumpkins are technically fruits, not vegetables, because they come from flowers and have seeds. The word traveled from Greek 'big melon' to our Halloween lanterns—language and plants both got repurposed along the way.
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