calabaza

See also: Calabaza

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Paleo-Hispanicbor.?

Vulgar Latin *calapaccia?

Old Spanish calabaça

Spanish calabazabor.

English calabaza

Borrowed from Spanish calabaza.

Noun

calabaza (plural calabazas)

1. A burr gherkin.

Asturian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kalaˈbaθa/ [ka.laˈβ̞a.θa]
• Rhymes: -aθa
• Syllabification: ca‧la‧ba‧za

Noun

calabaza f (plural calabaces)

1. pumpkin (plant)
2. pumpkin (fruit of this plant)
3. in a cart, the central part of the wheel
4. (colloquial, also in the plural) rejection of a romantic advance or refusal to a date or dance

   dar calabaces ― to dump

5. (colloquial) head

Further reading

• “calabaza”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN
• García Arias, Xosé Lluis (2002–2004), “calabaza”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (overall work in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN

Chavacano

Alternative forms

• calabasa
• kalabasa

Etymology

Inherited from Spanish calabaza (“pumpkin”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kalaˈbasa/, [ka.laˈba.sa]
• Hyphenation: ca‧la‧ba‧za

Noun

calabaza

1. pumpkin

Leonese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

calabaza f (plural calabazas)

1. pumpkin, gourd

References

• “calabaza”, in Diccionario Castellano-Leonés / Leonés-Castellano [Spanish-Leonese / Leonese-Spanish Dictionary] (in Spanish), La Asociación L'Alderique, 2012–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Paleo-Hispanicbor.?

Vulgar Latin *calapaccia?

Old Spanish calabaça

Spanish calabaza

Inherited from Old Spanish calabaça, possibly from a hypothetical Vulgar Latin *calapaccia (compare Catalan carabassa and Portuguese cabaça), ultimately of Paleo-Hispanic origin.

Less likely from Arabic قَرْعَة يَابِسَة (qarʕa(t) yābisa, “dry gourd”), which is from Classical Persian خَرْبُزَه (xarbuza, “melon”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kalaˈbaθa/ [ka.laˈβ̞a.θa] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /kalaˈbasa/ [ka.laˈβ̞a.sa] (Latin America, Philippines)

• Audio (Chile):

  (file)

• Audio (Valencia, Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aθa (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• Rhymes: -asa (Latin America, Philippines)
• Syllabification: ca‧la‧ba‧za

Noun

calabaza f (plural calabazas)

1. pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo; typical pumpkin used for Halloween and autumn seasonal decoration)
2. (Argentina, Caribbean, Mexico, Spain) gourd, pumpkin

   Synonyms: (South America) zapallo, auyama, (Venezuela, Colombia) ahuyama, (Central America) ayote

3. cep, porcino (Boletus edulis)
4. ellipsis of calabaza de nuez (“butternut squash”)
5. (colloquial, Spain) bad grades
6. (colloquial) dummy; fool
   • 1891, José María de Pereda, Pedro Sánchez, chapter 11:

     -¿Y cómo va de visitas?
     -¿De qué visitas? -pregunté a mi vez.
     -¡Calabaza!, de las innumerables que tendrá usted que hacer en Madrid... porque ustedes, los pudientes de la Montaña, son el mismo demonio en este particular.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• calabacear
• calabacín
• calabaza bellota
• calabaza butternut
• calabaza de invierno
• calabaza de nuez
• calabazada
• calabazazo (“bump on the head”)
• chinche de la calabaza
• dar calabazas
• qué pasa, calabaza
• qué te pasa, calabaza

Descendants

• → Basque: kalabaza
• → Cebuano: kalabasa
• → English: calabaza
• → French: calebasse (see there for further descendants)
• → Hiligaynon: kalabasa
• → Tagalog: kalabasa

Further reading

• “calabaza”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025