citron

[si-truh n]

noun

a pale-yellow fruit resembling the lemon but larger and with thicker rind, borne by a small tree or large bush, Citrus medica, allied to the lemon and lime.
the tree itself.
the rind of the fruit, candied and preserved.

a grayish-green yellow color.
citron melon.

adjective

having the color citron.

Origin of citron

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French < Italian citrone < Latin citr(us) citrus + Italian -one augmentative suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for citron

Contemporary Examples of citron

Early Jews suggested it was a fig, pomegranate, citron, or even tomato.
The Truth About Genesis
Bruce Feiler
September 18, 2009

Historical Examples of citron

You may reserve the citron to put in when you make the pies.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Stir in bits of citron cut thin, and bake in hearts and rounds.
Harper's Young People, July 20, 1880
Various
The three women brought their lilies, their great sprays of citron aloes.
The Long Roll
Mary Johnston
Only let him go near it, and he will at once bite the top off the citron.
Jewish Children
Sholem Naumovich Rabinovich
Go and open the cupboard, take out the citron, and bite me off.
Jewish Children
Sholem Naumovich Rabinovich

British Dictionary definitions for citron

citron

noun

a small Asian rutaceous tree, Citrus medica, having lemon-like fruit with a thick aromatic rindSee also citron wood
the fruit of this tree
Also called: citron melon a variety of watermelon, Citrullus vulgaris citroides, that has an inedible fruit with a hard rind
the rind of either of these fruits, candied and used for decoration and flavouring of foods
a greenish-yellow colour

Word Origin for citron

C16: from Old French, from Old Provençal, from Latin citrus citrus tree

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 citron

late 14c., also citrine (early 15c.), from Old French citron "citron, lemon" (14c.), possibly from Old Provençal citron, from Latin citrus and influenced by lemon; or else from augmentative of Latin *citrum, related to citrus "citron tree," citreum (malum) "citron" (see citrus).