watermelon
The origin and history of watermelon.
Etymology
From the 1610s, simply "water" plus "melon," describing its unusually high water content compared to other melons. Other languages coined near-identical compounds, like French melon d'eau and German Wassermelone.
Class of 1610
watermelon first entered the language around 1610. Other words from the same year:
See the full Class of 1610 →