LIME


Meaning of LIME in English

I

Small shrublike tree ( Citrus aurantifolia ), widely grown in tropical and subtropical areas, and its edible acidic fruits.

Stiff branches and twigs leave the thorny stem at irregular intervals and end in green leaves. Clusters of small white flowers produce small oval fruits with a thin, pale greenish yellow rind. The juicy pulp is more acidic and sweet than that of the lemon . Limes are used to flavour many foods. High in vitamin C, they were formerly used in the British navy to prevent scurvy ; hence the nickname "Limey" for British sailors.

II

or quicklime or calcium oxide

Inorganic compound, white or grayish white solid, chemical formula CaO, made by roasting limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO 3 ) until all the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is driven off.

One of the four most important basic chemical commodities, it is used as a refractory , as a flux in steel manufacture, as a CO 2 absorbent, to remove contaminants from stack gases, to neutralize various acids, in pulp and paper, in insecticides and fungicides, in sewage treatment, and in the manufacture of glass, calcium carbide, and sodium carbonate. Adding water to lime yields calcium hydroxide (slaked lime, calcium hydrate, hydrated lime, or caustic lime), which is used in mortar, plasters, cements, whitewash, hide dehairing, and water softening and purification and as a source of other calcium salts.

Lime ( Citrus aurantifolia )

Grant Heilman Photography

Britannica English dictionary.      Английский словарь Британика.