Etymology Dictionary

CALABASH,  a vessel made of the shell of a dried gourd.  (Port. or Span.,—Arab.)   'Calabash, a species of cucurbita;' Ash's Dict. 1775.   Found in books of travel.   Borrowed either from Port. calabaça, a gourd, pumpion, or the equiv. Span. calabaza, a pumpion, calabash; cf. Span. calabaza vinatera, a bottle-gourd for wine.   [The sound of the Port. word comes much the nearer to English.   Or we may have taken it from the French, who in their turn took it from Portuguese.   Cotgrave has:  'Callabasse, a great gourd; also, a bottle made thereof.']—Arab. qar‛ (spelt with initial káf and final ain), a gourd, and aybas, dry; the sense being 'dried gourd;' see Richardson's Arab. Dict. ed. 1829, pp. 1225, 215.   Der. calabash-tree, a name given to a tree whence dried shells of fruit are procured.