n. 1 a a pale-yellow thick-skinned oval citrus fruit with acidic juice. b a tree of the species Citrus limon which produces this fruit. 2 a pale-yellow colour. 3 colloq. a person or thing regarded as feeble or unsatisfactory or disappointing. lemon balm a bushy plant, Melissa officinalis, with leaves smelling and tasting of lemon. lemon curd (or cheese) a conserve made from lemons, butter, eggs, and sugar, with the consistency of cream cheese. lemon drop a boiled sweet flavoured with lemon. lemon geranium a lemon-scented pelargonium, Pelargonium crispum. lemon grass any fragrant tropical grass of the genus Cymbopogon, yielding an oil smelling of lemon. lemon squash Brit. a soft drink made from lemons and other ingredients, often sold in concentrated form. lemon-squeezer a device for extracting the juice from a lemon. lemon thyme a herb, Thymus citriodorus, with lemon-scented leaves used for flavouring. lemon verbena (or plant) a shrub, Lippia citriodora, with lemon-scented leaves. lemony adj.
[ ME f. OF limon f. Arab. lima: cf. LIME(2) ]