lemon

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈlɛmən/, /ˈlɛmɪn/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English lymon, borrowed from Old French limon (“citrus fruit”),^[2][3][4] probably through Old Occitan or Italian limone,^[2][3] from Arabic laymūn, līmūn, a collective term for citrus fruits,^[3][5][6] from Persian līmū(n).^[2][3][4] It is perhaps ultimately from an Austronesian word, such as Malay limau, citrus fruit (compare lime).^[2] The spelling with e did not appear until the mid-1600s.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The fruit: about 1400, in Mandeville's Travels.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

The Arabs apparently brought the fruit from India to the Levant in the 9th or 10th century.^[2] The tree is from 1615.^[7] A person with a tart disposition is from 1863.^[2][7] To hand someone a lemon, pass off a poor article as good, is British slang from 1906,^[2][7] and a worthless thing or disappointment is American slang from 1909 (1906 in Barnhart);^[2][3][7] Word Origins links it to the lemon as the least valuable symbol on fruit machines.^[6] A defective second-hand car is by 1931.^[2][6] Lemonade is from 1663,^[3] and lemon-grass, from its smell, from 1837.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1400 – lymon.^[3]
• 1615 – the tree.^[7]
• 1663 – lemonade.^[3]
• 1863 – a sour person.^[2]
• 1909 – a dud (US slang).^[2]
• 1931 – a defective car.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An oval yellow citrus fruit with sour juice, or the evergreen tree that bears it.
2. A pale or strong yellow colour.
3. (informal) Something unsatisfactory or defective, especially a car.

Adjective

1. Made from or tasting of lemons.

Word family

• lemonish
• lemonlike
• lemonade
• lemonfish
• lemonwood
• lemony
• lemon curd
• lemon drop

Related words

• limonene
• lime
• citrus

Usage notes

The fish lemon sole has an unrelated name, from French limande, of unknown origin.^[4] The surname Lemon is from Middle English leman, a sweetheart.^[2]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press