This plural noun refers to wild gourds or wild cucumbers, specifically identified by most scholars as colocynth (Citrullus colocynthis), a wild vine producing small, bitter, poisonous fruit with purgative properties. The word appears only in 2 Kings 4:39 in the narrative of Elisha and the poisoned stew. A man gathering herbs during famine found a wild vine and picked its fruit, not recognizing the danger. When these were chopped into the pot, the stew became toxic, prompting the cry 'There is death in the pot!' until Elisha miraculously neutralized the poison. The term highlights the danger of misidentified wild plants, especially during desperate times.