citrus
pronunciation
How to pronounce citrus in British English:
UK [ˈsɪtrəs]
How to pronounce citrus in American English:
US [ˈsɪtrəs]
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- Noun:
- any of numerous fruits of the genus Citrus having thick rind and juicy pulp; grown in warm regions
- any of numerous tropical usually thorny evergreen trees of the genus Citrus having leathery evergreen leaves and widely cultivated for their juicy edible fruits having leathery aromatic rinds
Word Origin
- citrus
- citrus: [19] Latin citrus signified the ‘citron’, a tree (Citrus medica) of Asian origin with a lemon-like fruit which was the earliest of the citrus fruits to become known in the West. Like the fruit itself, the name is presumably of Eastern origin – perhaps from a non-Indo- European language from around the eastern end of the Himalayas. Citron is a French derivative of citrus, coined on the model of French limon ‘lemon’; it was borrowed into English in the 16th century.
- citrus (adj.)
- 1825, from Modern Latin genus name, from Latin citrus "citron tree," name of an African tree with aromatic wood and lemon-like fruit, the first citrus fruit to become available in the West. The name, like the tree, is probably of Asiatic origin [OED]. But Klein traces it to Greek kedros "cedar," and writes that the change of dr into tr shows that the word came from Greek into Latin through the medium of the Etruscans. As a noun, "tree of the genus Citrus," from 1885.
Example
- 1. Citrus fruits and juices should only be kept 4-6 months .
- 2. Citrus juices also contain flavonoids that are believed to have beneficial health effects .
- 3. As a citrus color orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite .
- 4. The citrus isn 't magic weight-loss cure , as you might have guessed .
- 5. Think of this like a cheap alternative to the many citrus fruit based cleaners that are sold on tv .