Is it a courgette? Is it a marrow?

[JeremyinCzechRep]

A Slovak friend of mine asked me for the difference between a courgette and a marrow. While it is clearly to do with size, I said that I would eat the skin of a courgette, but not of a marrow. Do you have a better definition of when a courgette becomes a marrow?

[Odsox]

Yes, I can eat courgettes but marrows (in my opinion) are not worth house room.

Or if you want a real answer, a courgette is an immature marrow, but that's the boring answer.

[grahamhobbs]

Courgette is french and putting 'ette' on the end of a word usually signifies small or young, so a courgette is a small courge - which we call marrow.

[Millymollymandy]

I thought that you could buy seeds for marrow and that it was a different variety than those that are meant to be picked small i.e. courgettes.

Courge generally means squash here but it's pretty muddled up as there are tons of French words relating to pumpkin/squash/summer squash/courgette/marrow. Oh hang on probably about as confusing as English then.

[theabsinthefairy]

Yep, a courgette is a young courge, I guess marrowette just doesn't work as a diminutive for a marrow.

[Millymollymandy]

Don't think that zucch does either!