paddymelon

paddymelon

English

Etymology 1

Apparently from paddy +‎ melon. In some forms after pademelon.

Alternative forms

• paddy-melon, paddy melon, pademelon

Noun

paddymelon (plural paddymelons)

1. (Australia) Any of various cucurbitaceous plants, especially Cucumis myriocarpus, native to Africa but naturalized in inland Australia. [from 19th c.]
   • 1941, Kylie Tennant, The Battlers:

     Not even an occasional clod of earth stowed in the middle of a sack, or a few hefty paddy-melons, could make the toil profitable.

   • 1987, Bruce Chatwin, The Songlines, Vintage 1998, p. 76:

     The road was a straight band of tarmac and, on either side, there were strips of red dirt with paddy-melon growing over them.

Etymology 2

Alternative forms.

Noun

paddymelon (plural paddymelons)

1. Alternative form of pademelon