clementine

¹

[ klem-uhn-tahyn, -teen ]

noun

1. a small, sweet variety of tangerine with orange-red skin.

Clementine

²

[ klem-uhn-tahyn, -teen; French kle-mahn-teen ]

noun

1. a female given name: derived from Clement.

clementine

/ -ˌtaɪn; ˈklɛmənˌtiːn /

noun

1. a citrus fruit thought to be either a variety of tangerine or a hybrid between a tangerine and sweet orange

“Clementine”

1. An American folksong ( see folk music ). Its refrain is:

   Oh my darling, oh my darling,

   Oh my darling Clementine!

   You are lost and gone forever,

   Dreadful sorry, Clementine.

   ( See also forty-niners .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of clementine¹

< French clémentine (1902), said to be named after a Father Clément, who developed the fruit near Oran; -ine ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of clementine¹

C20: from French clémentine, perhaps from the female Christian name