citrus

American  

[si-truhs] / ˈsɪ trəs /

noun

• citruses
  plural

1. 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.

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

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adjective

1. Also citrous of or relating to such trees or shrubs, or their fruit.

citrus British  

/ ˈsɪtrəs /

noun

1. 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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adjective

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

citrus Scientific  

/ sĭt′rəs /

1. 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.

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• citruses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of citrus

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

Explanation

Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes: all of these are fruits that belong to the citrus family. They share similar kinds of pulp, thick rinds, and the fact that they grow well in warm climates. If you live in Florida, then you know about citrus. Most of the country's oranges and other citrus come from Florida, with California a close second. But oranges aren't the only citrus fruits. There are lemons, limes, grapefruits, just to name just a few. You can recognize a citrus fruit by its brightly colored, thick, and peelable rind. Citrus fruits are juicy and pulpy and make for a great breakfast. Not for me, though. All the acid in citrus makes my stomach upset.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

citrus citruses

Natural compounds in oranges, particularly hesperidin, a citrus flavonoid known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, seem to influence processes related to high blood pressure, cholesterol balance and the way the body handles sugar.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

Zimbabwean farmworker Aaron Majatamhe was heading home at sunset after a shift in one of South Africa's top fruit-producing regions, where bushes laden with bright unpicked citrus stood in rows.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

The pest can also damage citrus trees, landscape plants and other crops, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

It grabs onto the pasta beautifully, especially shapes like cavatappi, fusilli or shells, while still leaving room for olive oil, citrus, herbs and whatever vegetables happen to be in season.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

But once we got farther south and crossed into Tangerine County, we did start to see groves of citrus trees, and they were an amazing sight.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

L’Agrumiste makes its cake with only orange, but Ms. Greenspan favors experimenting with other citruses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Possibly the oddest looking of all the citruses, the Buddha's hand has clumps of long, yellow, bumpy "fingers."

From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2023

The one I sampled was ambrosial and diametrically opposed to the anemic citruses I’m used to, which tend to be picked before their time and left to ripen slowly under grocery-store fluorescents.

From New York Times ● Feb. 22, 2022

The findings, published in Nature, revealed that modern citruses can be traced back to an 8-million-year-old ancestor.

From Nature ● Jun. 18, 2019

Paris’s 10th and 11th arrondissements are full on Fridays, and home also to the Bataclan, a pagoda-like theatre painted in vivid yellows, reds and citruses, which looms over the Boulevard Voltaire like an eccentric aunt.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 14, 2015