hesperidium

noun

hes·​per·​id·​i·​um ˌhe-spə-ˈri-dē-əm 

plural hesperidia ˌhe-spə-ˈri-dē-ə 

: a berry (such as an orange or lime) having a leathery rind

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin,, from hesperid-, stem of Hesperideae, Linnaean taxon that included Citrus and other genera (from Latin Hesperid-, stem of Hesperides hesperides) + -idium -idium

Note: The coinage is based on the imagined notion that the golden apples cultivated in the Hesperides' garden were actually oranges or some other citrus fruit. Note that the Hesperides of Greek and Latin sources were the nymphs, not the apples.

First Known Use

circa 1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hesperidium

• clostridium
• cranidium
• cymbidium
• iridium
• peridium
• presidium
• pygidium
• rubidium
• cryptosporidium
• idiom