melon Hear it!

melon Definition

melon (melən)

noun

  1. any of several large, juicy, thick-skinned, many-seeded fruits of certain trailing plants of the gourd family, as the watermelon, muskmelon, and cantaloupe
  2. any of these plants
  3. Slang profits, winnings, political spoils, or the like, for distribution among stockholders, etc.: chiefly in cut a melon, to distribute such profits, etc.

Etymology: OFr < LL melo (gen. melonis), for L melopepo < Gr mēlopepōn, melon < mēlon, apple + pepōn, ripe

melon Synonyms

melon

n.

pepo, Cucurbitaceae (Latin), gourd; see food, fruit 1.

Types of melons include: watermelon, muskmelon, cantaloupe, Rocky Ford, gourd melon, winter melon, Casaba, Crenshaw, Persian, Spanish, honeydew.

melon Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • eat: Yet he goes and eats more melons than the rest of us put together!
  • grow: The third mission station will grow high-value melons to meet market demand.
  • have: Never has so much water melon been consumed by so few.

Adjective modifier

  • ripe: The fruit also has a sweet scent like a ripe melon.
  • juicy: Nigel Slater's delicious summer salads Britain's best food writer mixes up fresh beans and peas, juicy melons and silky salami.
  • bitter: And multiple clinical studies have clearly established the role of bitter melon in people with diabetes.
  • sweet: He sent his servants to buy a great many large, sweet melons.
  • red: Class A discus - red melons, red diamond... A grade surplus fish available; red melons, r.. .
  • large: I felt the weight of it in my hand like a large, furry melon.

Modifies a noun

  • liqueur: Regular £ 4.95 Key West Cooler A sweet mix of vodka, peach schnapps, Malibu and melon liqueur with orange & cranberry juices.
  • flavor: The palate is rich, with sweet peach and melon fruit flavors leading into a cleansing, crisp finish.
  • seed: The treasures may include sweet beans, dates, almonds, peanuts, melon seeds, raisins, dried apricots, walnuts.
  • ball: Garnish with a melon ball on a cocktail stick.
  • fruit: The palate is rich, with sweet peach and melon fruit flavors leading into a cleansing, crisp finish.
  • field: In the autumn of 2001, two isolates were collected from a severely blighted pear melon field near the town of Baños.

Noun used with modifier

  • cantaloupe: Plus 1 pot fat-free fruit yogurt and 1 slice cantaloupe melon.
  • honeydew: Best enjoyed, IMHO, with honeydew melon, white cheese and a nice bit of fish.
  • pear: In the autumn of 2001, two isolates were collected from a severely blighted pear melon field near the town of Baños.
  • water: I think Mojo's water melon is filled with liquor for the company mixer he never attended.
  • slice: I can remember the taste of sugar cane and apple slice melons, also the smell of guavas.

Browse dictionary entries near melon

  1. melolonthid
  2. meloid
  3. melody
  4. melodramatics
  5. melodramatic
  6. melodrama
  7. melodize
  8. melodist
  9. melodious
  10. melodica
  1. Melos
  2. Melpomene
  3. Melrose
  4. melt
  5. meltage
  6. meltdown
  7. melted
  8. melting
  9. melting point
  10. melting pot