# lemon
## English

Wikispecies

### Etymology

Inherited from Middle English lymon, from Old French lymon (“citrus”), from Arabic لَيْمُون (laymūn) or Persian لیمون (limon), from Persian لیمو (limu), from Sanskrit निम्बू (nimbū, “lime”), ultimately from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *limaw or Munda. Likely doublet of lime.
The fandom sense is named after the erotic anime series Cream Lemon.

### Pronunciation

* enPR: lĕm'ən, IPA: /ˈlɛm.ən/
** Audio (London):(file)
** Audio (New Jersey):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛmən
* (US)
** (pin–pen merger) IPA: /ˈlɪm.ɪn/

### Noun

lemon (countable and uncountable, plural lemons)
* A yellowish citrus fruit.
** 1680, T. K., The Kitchin-Phyſician; Or, a Guide for Good-Housewives in Maintaining Their Families in Health. […] ‎, How to take away Warts off the Face or Hands, page 14:The juice of Lemmons killeth Warts, but better the water of the ſame juice, diſtilled through a glaſs.
* A semitropical evergreen tree, Citrus limon, that bears such fruits.
* A more or less bright shade of yellow associated with lemon fruits.
    lemon flesh:
    lemon rind:
* (uncountable, rare) Lemon juice.
** 1989, David Johnston, “Notes”, in Federico García Lorca, translated by David Johnston, Blood Wedding, London: Hodder & Stoughton, published 1998 (17th impression), →ISBN, note 14, page 109:The fact that he is drinking lemon is, therefore, an image of the bitterness of his life.
** 2018, Jehad O. Halabi, quoting Muna, “Case Study: Traditional Health Beliefs of Arabic Culture During Pregnancy”, in Marilyn “Marty” Douglas, Dula Pacquiao, Larry Purnell, editors, Global Applications of Culturally Competent Health Care: Guidelines for Practice, Cham: Springer International Publishing AG, →ISBN, part II (Guideline: Education and Training), page 79, column 1:She should stay in bed for 40 days and should avoid getting close to her husband till the end of 40 days, not taking a shower, not drinking lemon, and not letting anybody enter her room while she has her menses because this will affect her milk.
** 2018, Sally Olivia Kim, “Vanilla Lemon Latte”, in The Collagen Glow: A Guide to Ingestible Skincare, New York, N.Y.: W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, “Hot and Cold Drinks” section:Drinking lemon is known to aid with digestion, as it contains limonene, compounds that can assist with weight loss and fighting inflammation!
* A lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris).
* (slang) A defective or inadequate item or individual.
    He didn’t realise until he’d paid for it that the car was a lemon.
** 1951, Herman Wouk, chapter 20, in The Caine Mutiny, page 243:“ […] the Navy's supposed to give me a ship that goes, and a captain that fights—— That's what all this muck is for, isn't it?” “Look, it's an old story by now. We're stuck with a lemon. Misfortune of war. […] ”
* (Cockney rhyming slang, shortened from “lemon flavour”) Favor.
    A thousand quid for that motor? Do me a lemon! I could get it for half that.
* (dated, fandom slang) A piece of fanfiction involving explicit sex.
** 1997 April 18, Neko, “[Dominion][FanFic][Lemon] A Typical Night at the Station”, in rec.arts.anime.creative‎ (Usenet):I'd really like to know what people think of this and whether I should carry on writing lemons or go and hide under a rock somewhere.
** 2000 May 30, Ian Blakeman, “[Eva][FanFic][Lemon] A day at Misatos appartment”, in rec.arts.anime.creative‎ (Usenet):WARNING: This story is a lemon and must be viewed with great care. If you are either under the age of 18, think graphic sex is discussing or you know what my writing is like you should turn away now.
** 2002 November 10, Goku Girl, “[DBZ][FanFic][Yaoi] Saiya-jin no Suto-ri Ichi (part one)”, in rec.arts.anime.creative‎ (Usenet):This won't be a lemon simply because I can't see myself writing anything like that.
* (geometry) The surface of revolution of a circular arc of angle less than 180° rotated about the straight line passing through the arc’s two endpoints.
    Coordinate term: apple

#### Alternative forms

* limon (obsolete)

#### Synonyms

* (defective item): bomb
* (erotic fanfiction): PWP, smutfic
* (color): lemon yellow

#### Hypernyms

* fruit
** citrus

#### Derived terms

* acid of lemon
* bitter lemon
* bush lemon (Citrus jhambiri)
* Canton lemon
* do me a lemon
* easy peasy lemon squeezy
* Ichang lemon (Citrus cavaleriei × Citrus maxima)
* lemonade
* lemon ant (Myrmelachista schumanni)
* lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
* lemon bar
* lemon basil (Ocimum × citriodorum)
* lemon beebrush (Aloysia citrodora)
* lemon-bellied flycatcher (Microeca flavigaster)
* lemon-bellied flyrobin (Microeca flavigaster)
* lemon-belly
* lemon cheese
* lemon chicken
* lemon chiffon
* lemon chiffon pie
* lemon clover (Oxalis stricta)
* lemon curd
* lemon daylily (Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus var., syn. Hemerocallis flava var.)
* lemon drop
* lemon eucalyptus (Corymbia citriodora)
* lemon geranium (Pelargonium crispum)
* lemongrass, lemon grass (Cymbopogon spp., esp. Cymbopogon citratus)
* lemon heaven
* lemon juice
* lemon laundering
* lemon law
* lemon lily (Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus var., syn. Hemerocallis flava var.)
* lemon-lime, lemon lime
* lemon meringue
* lemon meringue pie
* lemon mint
* lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora)
* lemon pepper
* lemon plait
* lemon shark (Microstomus kitt)
* lemon socialism
* lemon soda
* lemon sole (Microstomus kitt)
* lemon square
* lemon squash
* lemon-squeezer
* lemon squeezer
* lemon tea
* lemon thyme (Thymus spp.)
* lemon verbena, lemon vervain (Aloysia citrodora)
* lemon water
* lemony
* lemon yellow
* Meyer lemon (Citrus × meyeri)
* oil of lemon eucalyptus
* Philippine lemon
* ponderosa lemon (Citrus × pyriformis)
* rough lemon (Citrus jhambiri)
* salt of lemon
* sea lemon (Dorididae spp.; Ximenia americana)
* sharptooth lemon shark
* sicklefin lemon shark
* sit there like a lemon
* stand there like a lemon
* suck a lemon
* sweet lemon (Citrus hybrids)
* water lemon (Passiflora laurifolia)

#### Related terms

* limonene

#### Descendants

* → Kashubian: lemòna (Canada, United States)

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### See also

* adverse selection

### Adjective

lemon (comparative more lemon, superlative most lemon)
* Containing or having the flavour/flavor and/or scent of lemons.
* Of the pale yellow colour/color of lemons.
* (Cockney rhyming slang, from "lemon tart") Smart; cheeky, vocal.
** 2009 October 12, Caitlin Moran, “Why I love paying tax”, in The Times:Obviously Emin is not the first public figure to get lemon over tax increases.

#### Translations
### Verb

lemon (third-person singular simple present lemons, present participle lemoning, simple past and past participle lemoned)
* (transitive) To flavour with lemon.
    You can start the vegetables cooking while you are lemoning the fish.

### See also

* citrine
* citron
* citronella
* melissa
* fever grass
* Appendix:Colors

### References

* ↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “lemon”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
* ↑ Maria Lindgren Leavenworth & Malin Isaksson, Fanged Fan Fiction: Variations on Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, page 118

### Anagrams

* Menlo, Monel, melon, nmole

## Esperanto
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈlemon]
* Rhymes: -emon
* Hyphenation: lem‧on

### Noun

lemon
* accusative singular of lemo

## Welsh
### Alternative forms

* lemwn

### Etymology

From English lemon.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈlɛmɔn/

### Noun

lemon m (plural lemonau, not mutable)
* lemon

#### Related terms

* lemonêd (“lemonade”)

## Western Huasteca Nahuatl
### Noun

lemon
* lemon.