citrus

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin citrus, which in classical Latin named an African tree, probably the cypress Tetraclinis articulata, and in post-classical Latin from the 5th century also the citron tree.^[2][3] The modern botanical use is from the Citrus genus name.^[4][3][5][6] The OED calls the further etymology uncertain and disputed: the word probably comes from Ancient Greek κέδρος (kédros, “cedar”), perhaps through Etruscan, or was borrowed with the Greek word from another, unidentified language.^[2] Etymonline cites Klein and de Vaan for the Greek origin,^[3][7] while Ayto suggests an Eastern, perhaps non-Indo-European, source.^[8] The OED takes κίτρον (kítron, “citron fruit”) and related Hellenistic forms as probably loans from Latin.^[2] Through French the Latin word also gave citron.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Originally a citron, lemon or orange, in a translation of Lanfranc's Science of Cirurgie from before 1400.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The OED explains the move from the African tree, whose scented wood the Romans prized for furniture, to the citron, an Asian fruit tree, perhaps by the use of both to keep moths away.^[2] The citron was the first of the citrus fruits to reach the West.^[3][8] In English the African tree is named from 1555,^[2] and the genus of trees and shrubs from 1781.^[2][5] Other dictionaries date the word only from its botanical use: Etymonline 1825, Dictionary.com 1815–25, Barnhart 1882.^[3][6][4] In later use the noun means any fruit of the genus, such as an orange, lemon or grapefruit, and it is often used attributively.^[2][5]

Timeline

• before 1400 – a citron, lemon or orange.^[2]
• 1555 – an African tree with fragrant wood, prized by the Romans.^[2]
• 1781 – a tree or shrub of the genus Citrus.^[2][5]
• 1825 – any tree of the genus Citrus, or its fruit (Etymonline).^[3]
• 1882 – Barnhart's first date for the genus sense.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Any tree or shrub of the genus Citrus, which includes the orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit and citron.^[9][5][10]
2. The fruit of such a tree; a citrus fruit.^[2][10]

Adjective

1. Of or relating to these trees or their fruit: a citrus grove.^[9][5]

Word family

• citrusy
• citric acid

Related words

• citron
• citric
• cedar

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ a b c Ayto, John (2005), Word Origins: The Secret Histories of English Words from A to Z, 2nd ed., London: A & C Black
9. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
10. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press