melon
Americannoun
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the fruit of any of various plants of the gourd family, as the muskmelon or watermelon.
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medium crimson or deep pink.
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the visible upper portion of the head of a surfacing whale or dolphin, including the beak, eyes, and blowhole.
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Informal.
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a large extra dividend, often in the form of stock, to be distributed to stockholders.
Profits zoomed so in the last quarter that the corporation cut a nice melon.
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any windfall of money to be divided among specified participants.
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noun
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any of several varieties of two cucurbitaceous vines, cultivated for their edible fruit See muskmelon watermelon
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the fruit of any of these plants, which has a hard rind and juicy flesh
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slang to declare an abnormally high dividend to shareholders
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of melon
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin mēlōn- (stem of mēlō ), short for mēlopepō < Greek mēlopépōn apple-shaped melon, equivalent to mêlo ( n ) apple + pépōn pepo
Explanation
A melon is a round, sweet fruit with a hard outer skin. Add some color to your fruit salad by including different types of melon, like honeydew and cantaloupe. Melons are actually a type of berry, although you wouldn't know that to look at a watermelon, which can weigh 20 pounds or more. Melons grow on vines, like squash and gourds, and their rinds are so thick they need to be cut open with a sharp knife. When a melon is ripe, its flesh is soft, sweet, and juicy. The Greek root is mēlopepon, "gourd-apple."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The choice to use Paramount — Molly Shannon plays fictional studio executive Bev Melon — required some orchestrating, Hoffman admits.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2024
He stars as Thornton Melon, a self-made millionaire entrepreneur who, per the title, returns to finish his university education alongside his freshman son.
From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2023
In recent years, schools including Amherst College in Massachusetts, Carnegie Melon University in Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University in Maryland also have eliminated legacy admissions.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 25, 2023
This film is a big leap for you having made a series of indie films like "Colma: The Musical" and "Bitter Melon."
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2023
We said good night to Melon Head and left.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
