rind
1 Americannoun
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a thick and firm outer coat or covering, as of certain fruits, cheeses, and meats.
watermelon rind; orange rind; bacon rind.
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the bark of a tree.
noun
noun
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a hard outer layer or skin on bacon, cheese, etc
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the outer layer of a fruit or of the spore-producing body of certain fungi
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the outer layer of the bark of a tree
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rind1
before 900; Middle English, Old English rind ( e ) tree bark, crust; cognate with German Rinde
Origin of rind2
1300–50; Middle English rynd; cognate with Middle Dutch rijn, Middle Low German rīn
Explanation
A rind is a thick, inedible peel. You'll have to remove the rind of your orange before you eat it. Most rinds occur naturally, growing to cover and protect a fruit or a plant. You can also call the thick, waxy covering on a wheel of cheese a rind, or the inedible skin on a sausage or another food. The Old English root rinde originally meant "bark or crust," and later also "peel of a fruit or vegetable."
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.
In 2022, the consortium began introducing tracking chips, no larger than a grain of rice, as part of the label embedded in the hard rind of the cheese.
From BBC • Nov. 10, 2024
“And you put the lime in your mouth? You sucked on the lime and then you put the rest of the lime rind back on the bar with your right hand, correct?”
From Washington Times • Dec. 7, 2023
The latter featured a delicious cheese with an orange rind that I thought was the sharp fromage our aunts and uncles bring back every time they visit Jerez.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2023
The rind will soften during cooking, releasing its rich, nutty flavors.
From Salon • Jun. 25, 2023
The light, full and smooth, lay like a gold rind over the turf, the furze and yew bushes, the few wind-stunted thorn trees.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
