: an acid fruit that is botanically a many-seeded pale yellow oblong berry produced by a small thorny citrus tree (Citrus limon) and that has a rind from which an aromatic oil is extracted
Noun
The recipe calls for the juice of two lemons.
Garnish it with a slice of lemon.
Our new car is a lemon.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Extra-virgin olive oil, coriander and caraway join the chiles, and sometimes lemon juice or vinegar as well, for brightness and preservation.—Eric Kim, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2023 Whisk in fresh lemon juice or good vinegar one teaspoon at a time.—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023 Some people believe that carrying a lemon in your pocket wards off negative energy.—Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023 Stir what's left into a chicken salad (with Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, celery, lemon juice, dill, and parsley).—Leslie Goldman, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Sep. 2023 That meat is then coated in a brown-butter sauce with a little salt and some lemon juice.—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2023 Whisk in mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk and lemon juice until a smooth, slightly lumpy dressing forms.—cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023 Whisk in the mustard, silan (date syrup), honey, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and red pepper.—Sheryl Julian, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2023 Our take: Classic Arnold Palmer combo here, with some nice tart lemon to cut through the sweetness.—Gary Dzen, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023
Adjective
Order a side of fries, which is big enough to share between two people, and top things off with a lemon Italian ice—the only flavor available.—Ximena N. Beltran Quan Kiu, Bon Appétit, 16 June 2023 With intoxicating notes of lemon essential oil, blackcurrant bud absolute, raspberry rose Damascena essential oil, cedarwood essential oil, and musk, the eau is sweet and citrusy yet not too overpowering.—Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, 22 Nov. 2022 Their other copy of that gene, as well as both copies in non-lemon-frost leopard geckos, did not have those differences in the DNA sequence.—Maddie Bender, Scientific American, 24 June 2021 And there's a sauce for everyone's taste, from lemon garlic lobster to mango habanero steak and shrimp and chicken bacon ranch dishes.—Dahlia Ghabour, The Courier-Journal, 27 May 2021 Makes 8 shots 6 ounces dry rosé 1½ ounces Campari
2 ounces lemon juice
½ ounce maraschino cherry liquid
Maraschino cherries, such as Luxardo
In a shaker filled with ice, combine the rosé, Campari, lemon juice, and maraschino cherry liquid.—Rebekah Peppler, Bon Appétit, 26 Aug. 2019 Make LEMON PUDDING (from a mix) with 1 percent milk for dessert.—Susan Nicholson, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2017 Jack Rudy Elderflower Tonic .5 oz. Lemon juice 4 oz.—Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, 18 Dec. 2015 See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lemon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English lymon, from Middle French limon, from Medieval Latin limon-, limo, from Arabic laymūn, līmūn, from Persian līmū, līmun
: an acid fruit that contains citric acid and vitamin C, is botanically a many-seeded pale yellow oblong berry, and is produced by a small thorny tree of the genus Citrus (C. limon)
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