lime
lime (līm)
noun
- birdlime
- a white substance, calcium oxide, CaO, obtained by the action of heat on limestone, shells, and other material containing calcium carbonate, and used in making mortar and cement, and, when hydrated, in neutralizing acid soil
- a calcareous deposit from water inside pipes, pans, etc.
Etymology: ME < OE līm, akin to Ger leim < IE base *(s)lei-, slime, wet and sticky, to smooth over > Gr leios, smooth, L limus, slime, mud, linere, to smear, levis, smooth, OE lam, clay
lime (līm)
noun
- a small, lemon-shaped, greenish-yellow citrus fruit with a juicy, sour pulp, rich in ascorbic acid
- the small, thorny, semitropical citrus tree (Citrus aurantifolia) that it grows on, originally native to S Asia
- greenish yellow
Etymology: Fr < Prov limo < Ar līmaḥ < līm, citrus fruit > lemon
adjective
- made with or of limes
- having a flavor like that of limes
- greenish-yellow
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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