WATERMELON

[Heb., ʼavat·tiʹach].

A large oblong or roundish fruit with a hard rind, many seeds, and a sweet pulp having high water content. It was one of the items of diet for which the mixed crowd and the Israelites expressed a longing while in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. (Nu 11:4, 5) Watermelons (Citrullus vulgaris) have long been cultivated in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East.