I. lime 1 /laɪm/ BrE AmE noun
[ Sense 1,4: Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: French ; Origin: Provençal limo , from Arabic lim ]
[ Sense 2: Language: Old English ; Origin: lind ]
[ Sense 3: Language: Old English ; Origin: lim ]
1 . [countable] a small juicy green fruit with a sour taste, or the tree this grows on
2 . [countable] a tree with pleasant-smelling yellow flowers SYN linden
3 . [uncountable] a white substance obtained by burning ↑ limestone , used for making cement, marking sports fields etc SYN quicklime
4 . [uncountable] a light yellowish green colour
II. lime 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
technical to add lime to soil to control acid