lemon
noun
- a small, egg-shaped, edible citrus fruit with a yellow rind and a juicy, sour pulp, rich in ascorbic acid
- the small, spiny, semitropical evergreen citrus tree (Citrus limon) bearing this fruit
- pale yellow
- ☆ Slang
- something, esp. a manufactured article, that is defective or imperfect
- an inadequate person
adjective
- having the color of a lemon; pale to bright yellow
- made with or from lemons
- having a flavor more or less like that of lemons
See lemon in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(lĕmˈən)
nouna. A spiny, Asian evergreen tree (Citrus limon) widely cultivated for its yellow, egg-shaped fruit.
b. The fruit of this tree, having a yellow aromatic rind and juicy, acid pulp.
- Lemon yellow.
- Informal One that is unsatisfactory or defective: Their new car turned out to be a lemon.
adjective- Lemon-yellow.
a. Made from lemons.
b. Tasting or smelling like lemons.
Related Forms:
Word History: Although we know neither where the lemon was first grown nor when it first came to Europe, we know from its name that it came to us from the Middle East because we can trace its etymological path. One of the earliest occurrences of our word is found in a Middle English customs document of 1420-1421. The Middle English word
limon goes back to Old French
limon, showing that yet another delicacy passed into England through France. The Old French word probably came from Italian
limone, another step on the route that leads back to the Arabic word
laymūn or
līmūn, which comes from the Persian word
līmūn.Learn more about lemon
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