lime

¹ American  

[lahym] / laɪm /

noun

1. the small, greenish-yellow, acid fruit of a citrus tree, Citrus aurantifolia, allied to the lemon.

2. the tree that bears this fruit.

3. greenish yellow.

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adjective

1. of the color lime.

2. of or made with limes.

lime ² American  

[lahym] / laɪm /

noun

1. Also called caustic lime,.  Also called calcium oxide.  Also called calx, quicklime.  Also called burnt lime;.  a white or grayish-white, odorless, lumpy, very slightly water-soluble solid, CaO, that when combined with water forms calcium hydroxide slaked lime, obtained from calcium carbonate, limestone, or oyster shells: used chiefly in mortars, plasters, and cements, in bleaching powder, and in the manufacture of steel, paper, glass, and various chemicals of calcium.

2. a calcium compound for improving crops grown in soils deficient in lime.

3. birdlime.

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verb (used with object)

limed, liming

1. to treat (soil) with lime or compounds of calcium.

2. to smear (twigs, branches, etc.) with birdlime.

3. to catch with or as if with birdlime.

4. to paint or cover (a surface) with a composition of lime and water; whitewash.

   The government buildings were freshly limed.

lime ³ American  

[lahym] / laɪm /

noun

1. the European linden, Tilia europaea.

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lime ⁴ American  

[lahym] / laɪm /

noun

Informal.

1. a shortened form of limelight.

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lime ¹ British  

/ laɪm /

noun

1. short for quicklime birdlime slaked lime

2. agriculture any of certain calcium compounds, esp calcium hydroxide, spread as a dressing on lime-deficient land

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verb

1. to spread (twigs, etc) with birdlime

2. to spread a calcium compound upon (land) to improve plant growth

3. to catch (animals, esp birds) with or as if with birdlime

4. to whitewash or cover (a wall, ceiling, etc) with a mixture of lime and water ( limewash )

lime ² British  

/ laɪm /

noun

1. any linden tree, such as Tilia europaea, planted in many varieties for ornament

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lime ³ British  

/ laɪm /

noun

1. a small Asian citrus tree, Citrus aurantifolia, with stiff sharp spines and small round or oval greenish fruits

2. 1. the fruit of this tree, having acid fleshy pulp rich in vitamin C

   2. ( as modifier )

      lime juice

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adjective

1. having the flavour of lime fruit

lime ⁴ British  

/ laɪm /

verb

1. slang (intr) (of young people) to sit or stand around on the pavement

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lime Scientific  

/ līm /

1. A white, lumpy, caustic powder made of calcium oxide sometimes mixed with other chemicals. It is made industrially by heating limestone, bones, or shells. Lime is used as an industrial alkali, in waste treatment, and in making glass, paper, steel, insecticides, and building plaster. It is also added to soil to lower its acidity.

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Other Word Forms

• limeless
  adjective
• limelike
  adjective
• unlimed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of lime¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Spanish lima, from Arabic līmah, līm “citrus fruit,” from Persian līmū(n); cf. lemon

Origin of lime²

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English līm; cognate with Dutch lijm, German Leim, Old Norse līm “glue,” Latin līmus “slime”; akin to loam

Origin of lime³

First recorded in 1615–25; unexplained variant of obsolete line, lind, Middle English, Old English lind; see linden

Origin of lime⁴

Shortened form

Example Sentences

One TikTok video was just 15 seconds long and showed a lime FaceTiming a lemon on a MacBook.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

"Not only were oysters harvested for food from the earliest days of colonization, but the reefs themselves were dredged and the shells crushed and burned to make lime for cement and mortar," she says.

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

"Usually, lime is used in the production of vellum parchment, but this is not found locally," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Lemon is classic; lime sharpens; grapefruit feels slightly adult; orange reads Sunday morning.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

Then there was a sigh, a rustle, a snap of one incautious twig, and the clearing of the giant lime tree was as empty as it had been before the days of man.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

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