lemon

[ lem-uhn ]

noun

1. the yellowish, acid fruit of a subtropical citrus tree, Citrus limon.
2. the tree itself.
3. lemon yellow.
4. Informal. a person or thing that proves to be defective, imperfect, or unsatisfactory; dud:

   His car turned out to be a lemon.

adjective

1. made of or with lemon.
2. having the color, taste, or odor of lemon.

lemon

/ ˈlɛmən /

noun

1. a small Asian evergreen tree, Citrus limon, widely cultivated in warm and tropical regions, having pale green glossy leaves and edible fruits citriccitrinecitrous
2. 1. the yellow oval fruit of this tree, having juicy acidic flesh rich in vitamin C
   2. ( as modifier )

      a lemon jelly

3. Also calledlemon yellow
   1. a greenish-yellow or strong yellow colour
   2. ( as adjective )

      lemon wallpaper

4. a distinctive tart flavour made from or in imitation of the lemon
5. slang.
   a person or thing considered to be useless or defective

Derived Forms

• ˈlemon-ˌlike, adjective
• ˈlemonish, adjective

Other Words From

• lemon·ish adjective
• lemon·like lemon·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lemon¹

1350–1400; 1905–10 lemon fordef 4; < Medieval Latin lemōnium; replacing Middle English lymon < Medieval Latin līmō, (stem līmōn- ) < Persian līmū, līmun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lemon¹

C14: from Medieval Latin lemōn-, from Arabic laymūn

Example Sentences

The aromas the team tested on participants were vanilla, almond, lemon, lemon myrtle, eucalyptus, peppermint, vinegar and lemongrass.

From Science Daily

Step on a lemon, and while its height will dramatically decrease, its size will increase in the other directions, turning it into a disk-shaped object that still has a considerable surface area.

From Science Daily

Many of the lemon trees remain, as if untouched; others were wiped out completely, the hills where they stood blackened and desiccated.

From Los Angeles Times

A light touch of herbs, some seasonings and a bright pop of fresh lemon juice, and you have a most brilliant concoction, a concoction that is now as much of a Creole classic as gumbo.

From Salon

Mr Sharif claimed that in 2016, Ms Batool had hit him on the head with a wooden lemon squeezer when he first wanted to leave and on another occasion attacked him with a broom.

From BBC