lemon English · revision 7825

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1400|origins=fa limu}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈlɛmən/, /ˈlɛmɪn/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English lymon, [[bor|fro|limon|t=citrus fruit]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) probably through Old Occitan or Italian limone,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from Arabic laymūn, līmūn, a collective term for citrus fruits,^(Barnhart 1988)^(NODE 1998)^(Cresswell 2021) from Persian līmū(n).^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) It is perhaps ultimately from an Austronesian word, such as Malay limau, citrus fruit (compare [[lime]]).^(Etymonline) The spelling with e did not appear until the mid-1600s.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The fruit: about 1400, in ''Mandeville's Travels''.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Arabs apparently brought the fruit from India to the Levant in the 9th or 10th century.^(Etymonline) The tree is from 1615.^(OED 1989) A person with a tart disposition is from 1863.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) ''To hand someone a lemon'', pass off a poor article as good, is British slang from 1906,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and a worthless thing or disappointment is American slang from 1909 (1906 in Barnhart);^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) Word Origins links it to the lemon as the least valuable symbol on fruit machines.^(Cresswell 2021) A defective second-hand car is by 1931.^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021) ''Lemonade'' is from 1663,^(Barnhart 1988) and lemon-grass, from its smell, from 1837.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1400 – lymon.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1615 – the tree.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1663 – lemonade.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1863 – a sour person.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1909 – a dud (US slang).^(Etymonline)

+ * 1931 – a defective car.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An oval yellow [[citrus]] fruit with sour juice, or the evergreen tree that bears it.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A pale or strong [[yellow]] colour.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(informal)'' Something unsatisfactory or defective, especially a car.^(AHD)^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Made from or tasting of lemons.^(AHD)

+

+ ==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.^(Hoad 1986) The surname Lemon is from Middle English leman, a sweetheart.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}