lime

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈlīm 

1

: birdlime

2

a

: a caustic highly infusible solid that consists of calcium oxide often together with magnesium oxide, that is obtained by calcining forms of calcium carbonate (such as shells or limestone), and that is used in building (as in mortar and plaster) and in agriculture

called also quicklime

b

: a dry white powder consisting essentially of calcium hydroxide that is made by treating quicklime with water

c

: calcium

carbonate of lime

lime

2 of 5

verb

limed; liming

transitive verb

1

: to smear with a sticky substance (such as birdlime)

2

: to entangle with or as if with birdlime

3

: to treat or cover with lime

lime the lawn in the spring

lime

3 of 5

adjective

: of, relating to, or containing lime or limestone

lime

4 of 5

noun (2)

: a linden tree

especially : linden sense 1a

lime

5 of 5

noun (3)

1

: the small globose yellowish green fruit of a widely cultivated spiny tropical Asian citrus tree (Citrus aurantifolia) with a usually acid juicy pulp used as a flavoring agent and as a source of vitamin C

2

: a tree that bears limes

Examples of lime in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Get the recipe > Hemingway Special At Floridita bar, this daiquiri tart with fresh grapefruit and lime juices was a regular order of author Ernest Hemingway. —Saveur Editors, Saveur, 11 Apr. 2024

Get The Recipe 21 of 50 Kentucky Oaks Lily Drink Cranberry juice, lime juice, and Triple Sec make this drink colorful, flavorful, and fun. —Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2024

Some TikTok users claim the drink — made with oats, water and lime juice — can help someone lose up to 40 pounds in as little as 2 months. —Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024

The sweetness of the Peeps garnish is cut by the sourness of the drink and the cocktail’s uninhibited pale green hue, from the lime juice, aptly fits Easter’s pastel palette. —Jillian Dara, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Swap the vinegar for a different acid, such as lemon or lime juice, sour orange juice or sherry vinegar. —Lucinda Scala Quinn, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024

Materials like work bricks and tools were piled up in the reception area of the house and lime and plaster used to make walls was found. —Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2024

For pink hydrangeas, amend the soil to be more alkaline, add lime. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024

It is prepared in small batches with a marinade of morita peppers, ground achiote, pineapple and lime, according to the company. —Fielding Buck, Orange County Register, 14 Mar. 2024

Verb

Indeed, of the 180 or so tombs that his team examined at the cemetery, this was the only one that had been limed. —Franz Lidz, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English līm; akin to Old High German līm birdlime, Latin limus mud, slime, and perhaps to Latin linere to smear

Noun (2)

alteration of Middle English lind, from Old English; akin to Old High German linta linden

Noun (3)

Middle French, from Spanish lima, from Arabic līma, līm

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1625, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing lime

• key lime pie
• chlorinated lime
• lime-twig
• lime-juicer
• key lime
• soda lime
• kaffir lime
• lime green
• chloride of lime
• lime glass

Kids Definition

lime

1 of 5 noun

ˈlīm 

1

: a white substance that is primarily an oxide of calcium, is made by heating limestone or shells, and is used in making plaster and cement and in farming

2

: a dry white powder consisting chiefly of the hydroxide of calcium that is made by treating lime with water

lime

2 of 5 verb

limed; liming

: to treat or cover with lime

lime a garden

lime

3 of 5 adjective

: of, relating to, or containing lime or limestone

lime

4 of 5 noun

: a European linden tree

lime

5 of 5 noun

: a fruit like the lemon but smaller and with a yellowish green skin

also : the tropical Asian citrus tree that bears limes

Etymology

Noun

Old English lim "substance from limestone"

Noun

Old English lind "linden tree"

Noun

from French lime "the fruit lime"; of Arabic origin

Medical Definition

lime

1 of 2 noun

ˈlīm 

: a caustic powdery white highly infusible solid that consists of calcium oxide often together with magnesia

called also quicklime

see limewater

lime adjective

lime

2 of 2 noun

: the small globose yellowish green fruit of a spiny tropical tree of the genus Citrus (C. aurantifolia) that has a usually acid juicy pulp used as a flavoring agent and as a source of vitamin C

also : a tree that bears limes