Main Entry:

mel·on

Pronunciation:

\ˈme-lən\

Function:

noun

Usage:

often attributive

Etymology:

Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin melon-, melo, short for Latin melopepon-, melopepo, from Greek mēlopepōn, from mēlon apple + pepōn, an edible gourd — more at pumpkin

Date:

14th century

1: any of various typically sweet gourds (as a muskmelon or watermelon) usually eaten raw as fruits2: something rounded like a melon: as a: the rounded organ in the front of the head of some cetaceans bplural slang : large breasts 3 a: a surplus of profits available for distribution to stockholders b: a financial windfall