gherkin

gher·kin
G2H4E1R1K5I1N1
US/ˈɡɝkɪn/UK/ˈɡɜːkɪn/

noun

A small cucumber, often pickled whole.

OriginDutch gurk ← Middle Low German agurke ← Medieval Greek ἀγγούριον →
UncommonScrabble 15
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

gherkin1

noungherkin (plural gherkins)

plural gherkins · alternative obsolete gerkin

  1. A small cucumber, often pickled whole.
  2. IrelandUKPickled cucumber regardless of size; a pickle
  3. slangThe penis.

    His gherkin was doing the tent dance, and he couldn't have been prouder.

    2011, James Herbert Edwards, The Guardian Projects: Book Two, page 241
    2 more examples

    “Even my gherkin is sorry, and it didn't talk shit about anybody," persists Adrian. The edge of Titus's mouth quivers in laughter.

    2008, E. Lockhart, Fly on the Wall

    “Yes, daddy,” I moaned, lying big-time as his finger played in my sudsy pussy. “Say please,” he ordered, taking my hand to circle around his gherkin.

    2010, Niobia Bryant, Live and Learn
proper nounthe gherkin

alternative obsolete gerkin

  1. Alternative letter-case form of Gherkin.

Gherkin2

proper nounthe Gherkin
  1. UKinformalThe building at 30 St Mary Axe, a distinctively-shaped skyscraper in London, England

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
dill picklepenis

Origin

gherkin · noun, proper noun

  1. Medieval Greekἀγγούριον“cucumber”
  2. Middle Low Germanagurke
  3. Dutchgurk
  4. Englishgherkin

From a form of Dutch gurk, an archaic variant of augurk (“small pickled cucumber”), from Low German, from Middle Low German agurke, augurke, probably via Slavic (compare Polish ogórek), from Medieval Greek ἀγγούριον (angoúrion, “cucumber”). The underlying Dutch form may be a diminutive (gurkijn) or perhaps more probably the plural (gurken), which was then associated with the English suffix -kin (itself incidentally from Dutch or Low German). Compare German Gurke.

More words from Dutch, Middle Low German, Medieval Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Gherkin · proper noun

After the shape of the building, which is like that of a gherkin.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian корнишо́н
  • корнишо́н (kornišón)small cucumber
Catalan cogombret
  • cogombretsmall cucumber
Chinese Mandarin 小黃瓜 /小黄瓜
  • 小黃瓜 /小黄瓜 (xiǎohuángguā)small cucumber
Danish asie
  • asiesmall cucumber
Dutch augurk
  • augurksmall cucumber
Finnish cocktailkurkku, pikkelsikurkku
  • cocktailkurkkusmall cucumber
  • pikkelsikurkkusmall cucumber
French cornichon
  • cornichonsmall cucumber
German Salzgurke, Gewürzgurke
  • Salzgurkesmall cucumber
  • Gewürzgurkesmall cucumber
  • Gürkchensmall cucumber
Greek αγγουράκι
  • αγγουράκι (angouráki)small cucumber
Hungarian csemegeuborka
  • csemegeuborkasmall cucumber
Icelandic smágúrka
  • smágúrkasmall cucumber
Italian cetriolino
  • cetriolinosmall cucumber
Japanese ガーキン
  • ガーキン (gākin)small cucumber
Māori kamoriki
  • kamorikismall cucumber
Polish korniszon, ogórek konserwowy
  • korniszonsmall cucumber
  • ogórek konserwowysmall cucumber
Portuguese pepino em conserva
  • pepino em conservasmall cucumber
Romanian cornișon
  • cornișonsmall cucumber
Russian корнишо́н, огу́рчик
  • корнишо́н (kornišón)small cucumber
  • огу́рчик (ogúrčik)small cucumber
Spanish pepinillo
  • pepinillosmall cucumber
Swedish ättiksgurka, liten inläggningsgurka
  • ättiksgurkasmall cucumber
  • liten inläggningsgurkasmall cucumber
  • saltgurkasmall cucumber
Turkish kornişon
  • kornişonsmall cucumber
Ukrainian корнішо́н
  • корнішо́н (kornišón)small cucumber
Welsh gercyn
  • gercynsmall cucumber

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with gherkin

firkinjerkinmirken
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

gherkin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gherkin

MLA

“gherkin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gherkin. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gherkin,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gherkin.

Source: gherkin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.