lemon

[lem-uh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lemon ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the yellowish, acid fruit of a subtropical citrus tree, Citrus limon.

the tree itself.

Informal. a person or thing that proves to be defective, imperfect, or unsatisfactory; dud: His car turned out to be a lemon.

adjective

made of or with lemon.

having the color, taste, or odor of lemon.

Origin of lemon

1350–1400; 1905–10 for def 4; < Medieval Latin lemōnium; replacing Middle English lymon < Medieval Latin līmō, (stem līmōn-) < Persian līmū, līmun

Related formslem·on·ish, adjectivelem·on·like, lem·on·y, adjective

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

Related Words for lemon

failure, junk, flop, reject

Examples from the Web for lemon

Contemporary Examples of lemon

Twist a large piece of orange zest and a large piece of lemon zest over the drink and drop into the glass.
The Rise and Fall…and Rise Again of the Old-Fashioned
Allison McNearney
June 14, 2014
Think all-tequila margaritas, carne asada tacos spritzed with lemon, key lime pies that are mounds of crust and nothing more.
Limepocalypse! Inside the Great Lime Shortage of 2014
Kara Cutruzzula
April 30, 2014
He adds two dashes of Peychaud's bitters, one shot of Los Tigres de la Ira's Suisse verte, some lemon juice, and an egg white.
The Absinthe-Minded Porteños of Buenos Aires
Jeff Campagna
March 10, 2014
What makes the pain bearable is a memory of Robin, at lunch, when she suddenly smashes a lemon meringue pie into her own face.
This Week’s Hot Reads: February 18, 2014
Mythili Rao
February 18, 2014
Apply to the forehead for fast relief and follow up with a cup of green tea with half a lemon squeezed in.
Use These 15 Home Remedies Based On Ayurveda To Cure Menstrual Cramps, Hangovers, and Indigestion
Ari Meisel
January 21, 2014

Historical Examples of lemon

Pour this into the liquid and add the sugar and the juice of the lemon.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
While pulling, flavor with vanilla and a few drops of lemon.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Season with salt, pepper, and the juice of the lemon or the vinegar.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Throw them into the soup at the last, and also squeeze in the juice of a lemon.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Add a lemon, cut into slices, twelve cloves, and twelve pepper-corns.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for lemon

lemon

noun

a small Asian evergreen tree, Citrus limon, widely cultivated in warm and tropical regions, having pale green glossy leaves and edible fruitsRelated adjectives: citric, citrine, citrous

the yellow oval fruit of this tree, having juicy acidic flesh rich in vitamin C
(as modifier)a lemon jelly

Also called: lemon yellow

a greenish-yellow or strong yellow colour
(as adjective)lemon wallpaper

a distinctive tart flavour made from or in imitation of the lemon

slang a person or thing considered to be useless or defective

Derived Formslemonish, adjectivelemon-like, adjective

Word Origin for lemon

C14: from Medieval Latin lemōn-, from Arabic laymūn

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 lemon

n.1

type of citrus fruit, c.1400, lymon, from Old French limon "citrus fruit" (12c.), via Provençal or Italian from Arabic laimun, from Persian limu(n), generic terms for citrus fruits (cf. lime (n.2)); cognate with Sanskrit nimbu "the lime." Slang meaning "a Quaalude" is 1960s, from Lemmon, name of a pharmaceutical company that once manufactured the drug.

n.2

"worthless thing," 1909, American English slang; from lemon (n.1), perhaps via criminal slang sense of "a person who is a loser, a simpleton," which is perhaps from the notion of someone a sharper can "suck the juice out of." A pool hall hustle was called a lemon game (1908); while to hand someone a lemon was British slang (1906) for "to pass off a sub-standard article as a good one." Or it simply may be a metaphor for something which leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.