citrus

[si-truh s]

noun, plural cit·rus·es.

any small tree or spiny shrub of the genus Citrus, of the rue family, including the lemon, lime, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, citron, kumquat, and shaddock, widely cultivated for fruit or grown as an ornamental.

the tart-to-sweet, pulpy fruit of any of these trees or shrubs, having a characteristically smooth, shiny, stippled skin.

adjective

Also cit·rous. of or relating to such trees or shrubs, or their fruit.

Origin of citrus

1815–25; < New Latin, Latin: citron tree

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for citrus

Contemporary Examples of citrus

I became numb to the barrage of smells: citrus disinfectants, burning trash, sewage, sweat, and diesel.
How I’ll End the War: My First Week Back in Afghanistan
Nick Willard
May 1, 2014
Strong fennel and wormwood hit the back of my tongue along with a dryness from the barrel and hints of citrus from the chamomile.
The Absinthe-Minded Porteños of Buenos Aires
Jeff Campagna
March 10, 2014
He sprays the glass with some citrus peel and garnishes the cocktail with an organic flower and cinnamon sticks.
The Secret Speakeasies of Buenos Aires
Jeff Campagna
February 25, 2014
Where Citrus County felt like a coiled spring, the pace of A Million Heavens is sedate, diffused among a dozen or so characters.
3 Must-Read Offbeat Novels: ‘A Million Heavens,’ ‘The Investigation,’ ‘Office Girl’
Drew Toal, Kevin Canfield, Daniel Roberts
July 6, 2012
If pairing with citrus flavors you might want to consider a nice Riesling as well.
Valentine's Day Wine and Chocolate Pairings
Snooth
February 11, 2011

Historical Examples of citrus

Orange (sweet) oil, expressed from the peel of Citrus aurantium.
The Handbook of Soap Manufacture
W. H. Simmons
If citrus fruits are boiled slowly they are apt to grow dark and strong.
The Khaki Kook Book
Mary Kennedy Core
There are over 20,000 acres today in this republic on which citrus fruit is grown.
The History of Cuba, vol. 5
Willis Fletcher Johnson
Citrus medica Limonum (citronnier in French, lemon in English).
Origin of Cultivated Plants
Alphonse De Candolle
The bergamot-lemon, or fruit of citrus bergamia; also sometimes, colloquially, the fragrant oil obtained from its rind.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I
Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for citrus

citrus

noun plural -ruses

any tree or shrub of the tropical and subtropical rutaceous genus Citrus, which includes the orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, citron, and calamondin

adjective Also: citrous

of, relating to, or belonging to the genus Citrus or to the fruits of plants of this genus

Word Origin for citrus

C19: from Latin: citrus tree, sandarac tree; related to Greek kedros cedar

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 citrus

adj.

1825, from Modern Latin genus name, from Latin citrus "citron tree," name of an African tree with aromatic wood and lemon-like fruit, the first citrus fruit to become available in the West. The name, like the tree, is probably of Asiatic origin [OED]. But Klein traces it to Greek kedros "cedar," and writes that the change of dr into tr shows that the word came from Greek into Latin through the medium of the Etruscans. As a noun, "tree of the genus Citrus," from 1885.

citrus in Science

citrus

[sĭt′rəs]

Any of various evergreen trees or shrubs bearing fruit with juicy flesh and a thick rind. Citrus trees are native to southern and southeast Asia but are grown in warm climates around the world. Many species have spines. The orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit are citrus trees.

The usually edible fruit of one of these trees or shrubs.