zucchini
[ zoo-kee-nee ]
/ zuˈki ni /
noun, plural zuc·chi·ni, zuc·chi·nis.
a variety of summer squash that is shaped like a cucumber and that has a smooth, dark-green skin.
the plant bearing this fruit.
Also called,
especially British,
courgette.
Origin of zucchini
1925–30,
Americanism; < Italian, plural of
zucchino, equivalent to
zucc(a) gourd (see
zucchetto) +
-ino diminutive suffix
usage note for zucchini
This vegetable (actually an immature fruit), borrowed from Italy along with its name, has, in its native Italian language, both a feminine form (
zucchina, with the plural
zucchine ) and a masculine form (
zucchino, with the plural
zucchini ). It is the latter plural that has made it into English. And as with other Italian foods that enrich our vocabulary along with our diets, we have imported a plural form—only to treat it as a singular noun.
Spaghetti, ravioli, tortellini, and
fettuccini grace not only our dinner tables but our dictionaries, which show that English speakers normally treat these terms as mass (that is, uncountable) nouns rather than as plurals. We say, “This spaghetti
is delicious” or “I'd like
some fettuccini,” since we are not referring to individual pieces but to a cooked or cookable dish of pasta. Jokingly, we occasionally acknowledge Italian grammar, as by claiming to pick up one thin “spaghetto” or a puffy “raviolo.”
Zucchini, however, is different. Because of the vegetable's size, it is a count noun when whole; you can bring home six
zucchini or
zucchinis from the supermarket. But when it is sliced, cooked, and served, you once again have a dish of food that is talked about as a mass noun. And in that form,
some zucchini
is absolutely delicious.
Words nearby zucchini
zsec,
zsigmondy,
zu ʾlkaʿdah,
zuccari,
zucchetto,
zucchini,
zuckerman,
zug,
zugspitze,
zugzwang,
zuider zee
Example sentences from the Web for zucchini
British Dictionary definitions for zucchini
zucchini
/ (tsuːˈkiːnɪ, zuː-) /
noun plural -ni or -nis
a small variety of vegetable marrow, cooked and eaten as a vegetable
Also called (esp in Britain): courgette
Word Origin for zucchini
Italian, pl of
zucchino, literally: a little gourd, from
zucca gourd; see
zucchetto