marmalade
Americannoun
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of marmalade
1515–25; < Portuguese marmelada quince jam, derivative of marmelo quince < Latin melimēlum a kind of apple < Greek melímēlon ( méli honey + mêlon a fruit); -ade 1
Explanation
Marmalade is a type of fruit spread made from citrus fruits like oranges. You may imagine everyone in England eating toasted crumpets with orange marmalade and tea for breakfast every morning. Marmalade is essentially a type of jam that includes peels and rinds. Though plenty of sugar is used in making marmalade, the presence of citrus peels gives it a tart or even sour flavor. One of literature's most famous lovers of marmalade is Paddington Bear, who traveled to Britain from Peru and claimed, "I came all the way in a lifeboat, and ate marmalade. Bears like marmalade." The word stems from the Portuguese marmelo, "quince."
Vocabulary lists containing marmalade
Orange
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The Prince and the Dressmaker
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Pictures of Hollis Wood
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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.
But it remains to be seen whether the long arm of jam law will change the perception of marmalade in the British imagination.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Now Brussels has updated its rules after the UK's departure, allowing all EU countries to permit non-citrus spreads to be marketed as "marmalade" from June.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
A few combinations I love: a loaf of homemade sourdough alongside a beautiful farmers’ market marmalade.
From Salon • Dec. 23, 2025
“Any shortbread. Shortbread goes really good with soy sauce. If you’re making Linzer cookies and the jam or marmalade is a little sweet, you can mix a little soy sauce in.”
From Salon • Dec. 13, 2025
I watched a fly settle on the marmalade, and he brushed it away impatiently.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
