Etymologically
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lemon

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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
  • 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