citrus
[si-truh s]
- 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.
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- Also cit·rous. of or relating to such trees or shrubs, or their fruit.
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Origin of citrus
1815–25; < New Latin, Latin: citron tree
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for citrus
Contemporary Examples
I became numb to the barrage of smells: citrus disinfectants, burning trash, sewage, sweat, and diesel.
Strong fennel and wormwood hit the back of my tongue along with a dryness from the barrel and hints of citrus from the chamomile.
He sprays the glass with some citrus peel and garnishes the cocktail with an organic flower and cinnamon sticks.
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.
Historical Examples
Orange (sweet) oil, expressed from the peel of Citrus aurantium.
The Handbook of Soap ManufactureW. H. Simmons
If citrus fruits are boiled slowly they are apt to grow dark and strong.
The Khaki Kook BookMary Kennedy Core
There are over 20,000 acres today in this republic on which citrus fruit is grown.
The History of Cuba, vol. 5Willis Fletcher Johnson
Citrus medica Limonum (citronnier in French, lemon in English).
Origin of Cultivated PlantsAlphonse De Candolle
The bergamot-lemon, or fruit of citrus bergamia; also sometimes, colloquially, the fragrant oil obtained from its rind.
citrus
- any tree or shrub of the tropical and subtropical rutaceous genus Citrus, which includes the orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, citron, and calamondin
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- of, relating to, or belonging to the genus Citrus or to the fruits of plants of this genus
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Word Origin
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
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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.