melon
[ mel-uh n ]
/ ˈmɛl ən /
noun
the fruit of any of various plants of the gourd family, as the muskmelon or watermelon.
medium crimson or deep pink.
the visible upper portion of the head of a surfacing whale or dolphin, including the beak, eyes, and blowhole.
Informal.
- a large extra dividend, often in the form of stock, to be distributed to stockholders: Profits zoomed so in the last quarter that the corporation cut a nice melon.
- any windfall of money to be divided among specified participants.
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Nearby words
melodrama, melodramatic, melodramatize, melody, meloid, melon, melon dome, melon foot, melon pear, melon seed, melon shrub
Origin of melon
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin mēlōn- (stem of mēlō), short for mēlopepō < Greek mēlopépōn apple-shaped melon, equivalent to mêlo(n) apple + pépōn pepo
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for melon
British Dictionary definitions for melon
melon
/ (ˈmɛlən) /
noun
any of several varieties of two cucurbitaceous vines, cultivated for their edible fruitSee muskmelon, watermelon
the fruit of any of these plants, which has a hard rind and juicy flesh
cut a melon US and Canadian slang to declare an abnormally high dividend to shareholders
Word Origin for melon
C14: via Old French from Late Latin mēlo, shortened form of mēlopepō, from Greek mēlopepōn, from mēlon apple + pepōn gourd
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for melon
melon
late 14c., from Old French melon (13c.), from Medieval Latin melonem (nominative melo), from Latin melopeponem, a kind of pumpkin, from Greek melopepon "gourd-apple" (name for several kinds of gourds bearing sweet fruit), from melon "apple" (see malic) + pepon, a kind of gourd, probably noun use of pepon "ripe" (see pumpkin).
In Greek, melon was used in a generic way for all foreign fruits (cf. similar use of apple). The Greek plural of "melon" was used from ancient times for "a girl's breasts."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper