courgettes
courgettes
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "courgettes" is /kʊərˈʒɛts/.
cour /kʊər/ - This syllable consists of the velar plosive /k/, followed by the close-back rounded vowel /ʊ/ and the rhotic approximant /r/.
gettes /ʒɛts/ - This syllable begins with the voiced postalveolar fricative /ʒ/, followed by the open-mid front unrounded vowel /ɛ/, the alveolar plosive /t/, and finally the alveolar fricative /s/.
Word Form Variations
Singular: courgette
Plural: courgettes
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A long, green-skinned summer squash, closely related to the cucumber, that is typically harvested when immature and is a popular vegetable in many cuisines.
Synonyms: zucchini, summer squash, baby marrow (UK)
Antonyms: (There are no direct antonyms for this word as it is a specific type of vegetable.)
Examples of Use
In Books:
"Cooking With Courgettes- Delicious Recipes, Preserves and More With Courgettes" is for anyone who is overwhelmed with the courgettes coming off the plants in the garden. The book is full of ideas on how to creatively, and deliciously, cope with a glut of courgettes (from Cooking with Courgettes by Gardening with Jason, published January 2017).
In the children's book "Courgette," a small orphaned boy is given the nickname "Courgette" by his mother. He is taken in by a group of other orphans and they form a new family.
In Newspapers:
"Anyone who has ever grown courgettes will know that, come peak season, you have to get inventive with the abundance and come up with new ways to use them before they turn to marrows or perish and melt back into the soil." (The Guardian, July 2025).
"Rogue zucchini seeds are suspected to be behind several cases of illness in England. Zucchinis, also called courgettes, contain a naturally occurring compound..." (Food Safety News, July 2020).
In Online Publications:
"Courgettes: A Versatile Vegetable for Robust Eye Health. Meet the humble courgette, a versatile vegetable that is a friend to your eyes. Boasting a multitude of essential nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and antioxidants..." (Sight Research UK, July 2023).
"The Effect of Organic vs. Conventional Cropping Systems on the Yield and Chemical Composition of Three Courgette Cultivars." (Agronomy, March 2025).
In Entertainment:
A cartoon from CartoonStock depicts a doctor in a maternity ward presenting a baby vegetable to a very proud-looking marrow. The caption reads, "Congratulations Mrs Marrow, it's a courgette" (CartoonStock).
In the animated film "My Life as a Courgette" (original title: Ma vie de Courgette), a young boy who has lost his mother is sent to an orphanage where he finds new friends and a new sense of family. The film was released in 2016.
In Public Discourse:
"The Courgette Pilot has shown that schools meals represent an opportunity to boost Welsh vegetable supply chains and get more locally grown veg onto children's plates." (Move More Eat Well, April 2023).
On a Reddit forum discussing British English, a user states, "I would call them an aubergine and a courgette. Most of the American food words are familiar to me, but not all... but I wouldn't have been confident about a zucchini." (Reddit, May 2025).
10 Famous Quotes Using Courgettes
"I've been on a diet for two weeks, and all I've lost is my patience. Tonight, I'm eating courgettes and pretending they're fries."
"They were looking for a scapegoat, but all they found was a vegetable. A very green, very tasteless vegetable. A courgette."
"My life is like a garden: a few flowers, a lot of weeds, and an overwhelming number of courgettes."
"I'm not a vegetarian, but I've been eating so many courgettes lately, I might as well be one."
"When in doubt, add a courgette. It's a culinary rule I live by, especially when I have too many."
"Patience, like a good courgette plant, yields a bumper crop, and sometimes, more than you know what to do with."
"The best thing about courgettes is that they can be anything you want them to be: a pasta substitute, a chip, or just a really big cucumber."
"I don't mind a challenge, but a surplus of courgettes is a problem that even I struggle to solve."
"The secret to happiness is a good meal, and sometimes, a good meal is just a plate of roasted courgettes with a little bit of salt."
"A truly great salad is a balance of flavors, and for me, that balance always includes the subtle sweetness of fresh courgettes."
Etymology
The word "courgette" has a fascinating journey from Latin to English. It comes from the French word courgette, which is a diminutive of courge, meaning 'gourd' or 'squash'. Think of it like adding "-ette" to a word to make it smaller or a "little" version of the original, similar to how a "kitchenette" is a small kitchen. The French word courge itself is derived from the Latin word cucurbita, which is the scientific name for the gourd family, including pumpkins and squashes.
The word "courgette" first appeared in English around the 1930s, specifically in British English. Before this time, the vegetable was often called "zucchini," a name that came from Italian immigrants in the United States and is more commonly used in North America and Australia. The British adopted the French term, and it became the standard name for the vegetable in the UK and Ireland. The first known use of "courgette" in English was to refer to this specific type of small green squash, distinguishing it from larger gourds or marrows.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Courgettes
As plain as a boiled courgette: This phrase could be used to describe something that is very simple, bland, or uninteresting.
To get a glut of courgettes: This refers to having an overwhelming abundance of something, particularly a problem or task that multiplies unexpectedly.
A zucchini by any other name: A play on Shakespeare's famous line, this phrase suggests that something is what it is, regardless of what you call it.
To be a marrow in a patch of courgettes: To be the odd one out, or to stand out due to a difference in size or maturity.
To have the patience of a courgette farmer: This would be used to describe someone with a great deal of patience, as growing and dealing with a large crop of courgettes can be a long process.
A courgette's lot: A term for an undeserved, bland fate or situation.
To be on a courgette-only diet: To be deprived of joy or variety; to be in a very restrictive or difficult situation.
To go from a courgette to a marrow: To mature, grow, or inflate to a large, sometimes unwieldy, size.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of courgettes from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
