kaffir lime

[ kuh-feer-lahym ]

/ kəˈfɪər ˈlaɪm /

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noun Sometimes Offensive.

an Asian citrus tree, Citrus hystrix, having green fruit with wrinkly skin and aromatic leaves that are used in Southeast Asian cooking.See Usage note at the current entry

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Also Kaf·fir lime; kief·fer lime

[kee-fer lahym] /ˈki fər ˈlaɪm/ . Sometimes mak·rut lime

[muh-kroot-lahym] /məˈkrut ˈlaɪm/ .

Origin of kaffir lime

First recorded in 1820–30; Kaffir + lime¹; sense development unclear; possibly named after the Sri Lankan Kaffirs, an ethnic group partly descended from enslaved Bantu Africans

usage note for kaffir lime

Although the development of its name is not entirely certain, the kaffir in kaffir lime looks like a word that is used as a racial slur against Black people in South Africa. Because of that association, some people instead refer to this fruit as the makrut lime.

Words nearby kaffir lime

Kaffir, kaffir beer, kaffirboom, kaffir corn, Kaffir lily, kaffir lime, kaffiyeh, Kaffraria, Kaffrarian, Kafir, Kafiri