the name of a chemical vessel employed in distillation, when covered with its head. Its name comes from its lengthened shape, by which it resembles a gourd: some cucurbits, however, are shallow, and wide-mouthed. They are made of copper, tin, glass, and stone-ware, according to the nature of the substances to be distilled. A cucurbit, provided with its capital, constitutes the vessel for distillation called an alembic. See Chemistry, no 80. and Plate LXXVII., fig. 5, 6.