lime
1 Americannoun
-
the small, greenish-yellow, acid fruit of a citrus tree, Citrus aurantifolia, allied to the lemon.
-
the tree that bears this fruit.
-
greenish yellow.
adjective
-
of the color lime.
-
of or made with limes.
noun
-
Also called caustic lime, calcium oxide, calx, quicklime, burnt lime;. a white or grayish-white, odorless, lumpy, very slightly water-soluble solid, CaO, that when combined with water forms calcium hydroxide slaked lime, obtained from calcium carbonate, limestone, or oyster shells: used chiefly in mortars, plasters, and cements, in bleaching powder, and in the manufacture of steel, paper, glass, and various chemicals of calcium.
-
a calcium compound for improving crops grown in soils deficient in lime.
verb (used with object)
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limes,
present (3rd person singular)
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limed,
past participle, past
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liming
present participle
noun
noun
noun
-
short for quicklime birdlime slaked lime
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agriculture any of certain calcium compounds, esp calcium hydroxide, spread as a dressing on lime-deficient land
verb
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to spread (twigs, etc) with birdlime
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to spread a calcium compound upon (land) to improve plant growth
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to catch (animals, esp birds) with or as if with birdlime
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to whitewash or cover (a wall, ceiling, etc) with a mixture of lime and water ( limewash )
noun
-
a small Asian citrus tree, Citrus aurantifolia, with stiff sharp spines and small round or oval greenish fruits
-
-
the fruit of this tree, having acid fleshy pulp rich in vitamin C
-
( as modifier )
lime juice
-
adjective
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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limesimple
-
limessimple
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have limedperfect
-
has limedperfect
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am limingprogressive
-
are limingprogressive
-
is limingprogressive
-
have been limingperfect progressive
-
has been limingperfect progressive
Past
-
limedsimple
-
had limedperfect
-
was limingprogressive
-
were limingprogressive
-
had been limingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lime1
First recorded in 1615–25; from Spanish lima, from Arabic līmah, līm “citrus fruit,” from Persian līmū(n); cf. lemon
Origin of lime2
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English līm; cognate with Dutch lijm, German Leim, Old Norse līm “glue,” Latin līmus “slime”; akin to loam
Origin of lime3
First recorded in 1615–25; unexplained variant of obsolete line, lind, Middle English, Old English lind; see linden
Origin of lime4
Shortened form
Vocabulary lists containing lime
English Food and Drink Words Derived from Arabic
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Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
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Green
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Descendants of Michael P. Hannin, who acquired the quarry in 1931, applied for vested rights in 2018, saying they had long intended to mine and process the lime deposits there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
There are also around 16 fruit trees on the property—including orange, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, and lime trees—as well as a brick-enclosed vegetable garden.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
The lime converts arecoline into a free base form, which makes it easier for the body to absorb.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
The signature JonnyPop is a rainbow stack of cherry, orange, lemon, lime, blue raspberry and grape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Fig’s pupils were so big that only a thin outer ring of lime green remained.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Pereira has continued to champion corn, recently making a Brazilian lemonade - which uses limes instead of lemons - and pairing it with corn milk.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Suffering most are trees "we really associate with an English garden or an English landscape", she said: oaks, sycamores, birch, limes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Wearing black Swig shirts, the crew swiftly mixed drinks with bobbing limes and swirling cream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
A lot of citrus, like limes, pomelos, lemons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025
There was nothing in the world Isannah so craved as limes and Mrs. Lapham could not buy them for her.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
The previous owners — an army general and his wife, a journalist — paneled the main room in rustic limed wood with scalloped trim.
From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
Indeed, of the 180 or so tombs that his team examined at the cemetery, this was the only one that had been limed.
From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2023
Lightness and informality were crucial to achieving the desired open-arms effect, so the living room’s dusky paneling was stripped and limed to give it an earthier blanched appearance.
From Architectural Digest ● Sep. 8, 2015
Against one wall was a pile of limed and salted hides, still covered in hair.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 13, 2012
How does such treatment affect soils previously limed?
From The Elements of Agriculture A Book for Young Farmers, with Questions Prepared for the Use of Schools by George E. (George Edwin) Waring
It is the first field demonstration of the technique, called ocean liming, that they know of.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 15, 2022
The carbonates and oxides in the ash are valuable liming agents that can raise pH and help neutralize acidic soils.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2021
They survived foul trouble; Melo Trimble fouled out with 1:03 remaining, and Robert Carter Jr. and Diamond Stone each finished with four fouls, liming them to 22 minutes apiece.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 18, 2016
But, he added, “As long as we are talking about liming starts now and not in the regular season I’m fine with it.”
From Washington Times ● Feb. 20, 2015
But many of these poor pastures have been improved by draining, liming, and the use of suitable manures.
From Lessons on Soil by E. J. Russell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
