the name of a chemical vessel employed in distillation, when covered with its head. Its name comes from its elongated form in shape of a gourd: some cucurbits, however, are shallow and wide-mouthed. They are made of copper, tin, glase, 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.