■ noun
1》 Brit. a long white-fleshed gourd with thin green skin, eaten as a vegetable.
2》 the plant of the gourd family which produces this. [ Cucurbita pepo .]
3》 (also bone ~ ) a soft fatty substance in the cavities of bones, in which blood cells are produced.
4》 the vital part: such men were the ~ of the organization.
Phrases
to the ~ to one's innermost being.
Derivatives
~y adjective
Origin
OE mearg , mærg , of Gmc origin.