What is "sechium"

Sechium \Se"chi*um\, n. [NL.: cf. F. s['e]chion; perhaps formed fr. Gr. ? cucumber.] (Bot.) The edible fruit of a West Indian plant ( Sechium edule) of the Gourd family. It is soft, pear-shaped, and about four inches long, and contains a single large seed. The root of the plant resembles a yam, and is used for food.

Sechium is a genus in subtribe Sicyinea of the tribe Sicyeae of the gourd family Cucurbitaceae. Its best known member is the edible and widely cultivated chayote.