/ ˈlemən; NAmE / noun , adjective
■ noun
1.
[ C , U ] a yellow citrus fruit with a lot of sour juice. Slices of lemon and lemon juice are used in cooking and drinks :
lemon tea
a gin and tonic with ice and lemon
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the fish.
a lemon tree
2.
[ U ] lemon juice or a drink made from lemon
—see also bitter lemon
3.
(also ˌlemon ˈyellow ) [ U ] a pale yellow colour
4.
[ C ] ( informal , especially NAmE ) a thing that is useless because it does not work as it should
SYN dud
5.
[ C ] ( BrE ) a stupid person
SYN idiot
■ adjective
(also ˌlemon ˈyellow ) pale yellow in colour
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : via Old French limon (in modern French denoting a lime) from Arabic līmūn (a collective term for fruits of this kind); compare with lime (the fruit).