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definitions

bitter orange

noun
  1. See under orange(def 2).

Origin of bitter orange

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

orange

[awr-inj, or-]
noun
  1. a globose, reddish-yellow, bitter or sweet, edible citrus fruit.
  2. any white-flowered, evergreen citrus trees of the genus Citrus, bearing this fruit, as C. aurantium (bitter orange, Seville orange, or sour orange) and C. sinensis (sweet orange), cultivated in warm countries.
  3. any of several other citrus trees, as the trifoliate orange.
  4. any of several trees or fruits resembling an orange.
  5. a color between yellow and red in the spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 590 and 610 nm; reddish yellow.
  6. Art. a secondary color that has been formed by the mixture of red and yellow pigments.
adjective
  1. of or relating to the orange.
  2. made or prepared with oranges or orangelike flavoring: orange sherbet.
  3. of the color orange; reddish-yellow.

Origin of orange

1300–50; Middle English: the fruit or tree < Old French orenge, cognate with Spanish naranja < Arabic nāranj < Persian nārang < Sanskrit nāraṅga
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bitter orange

Historical Examples of bitter orange

British Dictionary definitions for bitter orange

bitter orange

noun
  1. another name for Seville orange

orange

noun
  1. any of several citrus trees, esp Citrus sinensis (sweet orange) and the Seville orange, cultivated in warm regions for their round edible fruitSee also tangerine (def. 1)
    1. the fruit of any of these trees, having a yellowish-red bitter rind and segmented juicy fleshSee also navel orange
    2. (as modifier)orange peel
  3. the hard wood of any of these trees
  4. any of a group of colours, such as that of the skin of an orange, that lie between red and yellow in the visible spectrum in the approximate wavelength range 620–585 nanometres
  5. a dye or pigment producing these colours
  6. orange cloth or clothingdressed in orange
  7. any of several trees or herbaceous plants that resemble the orange, such as mock orange
adjective
  1. of the colour orange

Word Origin for orange

C14: via Old French from Old Provençal auranja, from Arabic nāranj, from Persian nārang, from Sanskrit nāranga, probably of Dravidian origin

Orange

1
noun
  1. (ˈɒrɪndʒ) a river in S Africa, rising in NE Lesotho and flowing generally west across the South African plateau to the Atlantic: the longest river in South Africa. Length: 2093 km (1300 miles)
  2. (French ɔrɑ̃ʒ) a town in SE France: a small principality in the Middle Ages, the descendants of which formed the House of Orange. Pop: 27 989 (1999)Ancient name: Arausio (əˈraʊsɪəʊ)

Orange

2
noun
  1. a princely family of Europe. Its possessions, originally centred in S France, passed in 1544 to the count of Nassau, who became William I of Orange and helped to found the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Since 1815 it has been the name of the reigning house of the Netherlands. It was the ruling house of Great Britain and Ireland under William III and Mary (1689–94) and under William III as sole monarch (1694–1702)
  2. (modifier) of or relating to the Orangemen
  3. (modifier) of or relating to the royal dynasty of Orange
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bitter orange

orange

n.

c.1300, of the fruit, from Old French orange, orenge (12c., Modern French orange), from Medieval Latin pomum de orenge, from Italian arancia, originally narancia (Venetian naranza), alteration of Arabic naranj, from Persian narang, from Sanskrit naranga-s "orange tree," of uncertain origin. Not used as a color word until 1540s.

Loss of initial n- probably due to confusion with definite article (e.g. une narange, una narancia), but perhaps influenced by French or "gold." The name of the town of Orange in France (see Orangemen) perhaps was deformed by the name of the fruit. Orange juice is attested from 1723.

The tree's original range probably was northern India. The Persian orange, grown widely in southern Europe after its introduction in Italy 11c., was bitter; sweet oranges were brought to Europe 15c. from India by Portuguese traders and quickly displaced the bitter variety, but only Modern Greek still seems to distinguish the bitter (nerantzi) from the sweet (portokali "Portuguese") orange. Portuguese, Spanish, Arab, and Dutch sailors planted citrus trees along trade routes to prevent scurvy. On his second voyage in 1493, Christopher Columbus brought the seeds of oranges, lemons and citrons to Haiti and the Caribbean. Introduced in Florida (along with lemons) in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. Introduced to Hawaii 1792.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper