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.
"I am the first presenter to get marmalade all over a Bafta," said Paddington.
From BBC • Feb. 22, 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
Generous hunks of vanilla bean dot her lemon marmalade; bay leaf infuses her blackberry jam.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025
When we’re back home it takes a while to dig Alphie out from under the load of coal and turf and he won’t stop screaming till I give him bread and marmalade.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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.
