noun

lime

lym

noun

A small, round, green citrus fruit with a sharp, tart flavor.

"Squeeze a lime over the tacos."

A bright, slightly yellowish-green color.

"The walls were painted a vivid lime."

Calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide, used in construction, farming, and industry.

"Farmers spread lime on acidic soil to raise its pH."

A deciduous tree of the genus Tilia, also called the linden — unrelated to the citrus tree.

"A row of lime trees lined the avenue."

verb

To treat soil or material with lime (the mineral).

"They limed the field before planting."

How to Use Lime

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost often the green citrus fruit or its color — but also a building material (quicklime) and, confusingly, a completely different tree (the linden).

Common mistake

Don't confuse the "lime tree" (linden, Tilia) with the tree that grows citrus limes — they're unrelated species sharing a name by coincidence.

Common pairings

lime juice lime green a squeeze of lime

Word Forms

limed past tense, limed past tense, limes plural, limes plural, limes plural, limes plural, limes singular, limes singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Squeeze a _____ over the tacos.

Etymology

From Old English līm ("glue, mortar"), related to Germanic words for "glue"; the citrus-fruit sense entered English separately via French and ultimately Arabic/Persian.

Rhymes for lime

time dime mime crime anime grime prime chime slime regime pastime anytime

See all rhymes for lime →