Citrus

How to spell citrus

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce citrus

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does citrus mean?

1. nounA juicy fruit such as an orange, lemon, lime, or grapefruit, or the trees that bear them.
2. adjectiveRelating to or tasting of oranges, lemons, limes, or similar fruits.

Citrus in a sentence

• noun

  She added a slice of citrus to brighten the iced water.

• adjective

  The cleaning spray had a fresh citrus scent.

• noun

  The marmalade gets its sharp tang from bitter citrus peel.

• adjective

  He chose a light citrus flavour for the summer dessert.

Where does citrus come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Citrus comes directly from the Latin citrus, the name the Romans gave to the citron tree and its fragrant, thick-skinned fruit. The Latin word itself was probably borrowed from the Greek kedros, which referred to cedar and other aromatic trees, the scent being the link between the two. For centuries the citron was the main citrus fruit known in Europe, and the broader family of oranges, lemons, and limes only became familiar later through trade. Botanists revived the Latin citrus in the eighteenth century as the formal genus name for this whole group of fruits, and from that scientific use it passed into ordinary English. The single -r- and the plain -us ending are the spelling points to watch, since there is no doubling and no fancy Latin plural in everyday use.

How the word is built

• citr- (from Latin citrus: citron tree)
• -us (Latin noun ending)