Word for Wednesday: Courgette or Zucchini?

blog home

Our Word for Wednesday theme for November is vegetables.

A vegetable is a plant or part of a plant that is used for food. The word dates to the mid-fifteenth century when it meant 'non-animal life’ and was used to describe any type of plant. It has been used in reference to plants specifically grown for food since 1767.

So far we’ve looked at the words cabbage and potato. This week we’ve chosen two words that are used to refer to the same vegetable—courgette and zucchini. 

Both words describe a dark green cucumber-shaped squash that is typically eaten when small. The same vegetable left to mature is often called a marrow. 

Courgette is a loanword from French and is the diminutive of the word ‘courge’ which means ‘gourd’ or ‘marrow’. The word has been used in English since the 1930s and English-speaking countries that used the word today include the UK, Ireland, and South Africa. 

Zucchini is a diminutive of the Italian ‘zucca’ which means ‘pumpkin’ or ‘squash’ and perhaps comes from the Late Latin ‘cucutia’. The word has been used in English travel books about Italy since 1910 and in cookery books since 1915. English-speaking countries that use the word today include the USA, Canada, and Australia. 

Do you say courgette or zucchini? 
 


18 Nov 2020
blog home

"Thank goodness for Spellzone during this remote learning phase. The site is easy for students to navigate independently and they're really enjoying the activities and spelling games. You get an awful lot for your money with Spellzone. Really reassuring is the very prompt response with helpdesk queries. I've very rarely needed the helpdesk, but when I have, the issue has been addressed and sorted within a very short time."

Sarah Taggart, Oasis Academy Lord's Hill