gher·kin / ˈgərkin/ • n. 1. a small variety of cucumber, or a young green cucumber used for pickling. ∎  a pickle made from such a cucumber. 2. a trailing plant (Cucumis anguria) of the gourd family with cucumberlike fruits used for pickling. ∎  the fresh or pickled fruit of this plant.ORIGIN: early 17th cent.: from Dutch augurkje, gurkje, diminutive of augurk, gurk, from Slavic, based on medieval Greek angourion ‘cucumber.’

gherkin XVII(girkin). — early mod. Du. *(a)gurkkijn (now gurkje, augurkje), dim. of (a(u))gurk; ult. — Slav. word repr. by Pol. ogórek, Russ. oguréts; deriv. with dim. suffix of late Gr. aggoúrion.

gherkin Young green cucumber of a small variety (Cucumis anguira), used mainly for pickling.