CUCURBIT, noun [Latin , a gourd.] A chemical vessel in the shape of a gourd; but some of them are shallow, with a wide mouth. It may be made of copper, glass, tin or stone ware, and is used in distillation. This vessel, with its head or cover, constitutes the alembic.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI