lime
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lime¹
- /laɪm/
Rhymes with -aɪm
Where it comes from
From Middle English lyme, lym, lime, from Old English līm, from Proto-West Germanic *līm, from Proto-Germanic *līmaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyH- (“to smear”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Liem (“glue”), Dutch lijm (“glue”), German Leim (“glue”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish lim (“glue”), Faroese and Icelandic lím (“glue”), Latin limus (“mud”).
noun limes
- Any inorganic material containing calcium, usually calcium oxide (quicklime) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime). Lime, which is the product of the burning of chalk or limestone, might be bought ready burnt, or it could be burnt in kilns specially constructed in the neighbourhood of the building operations.
- Any gluey or adhesive substance that traps or captures; sometimes a synonym for birdlime. Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, and away with the rest.
- A limelight; any spotlight. Sellers moved on until he was actually trusted to operate the limes, the spotlights that can make or destroy an artist's act.
verb limes · liming · limed
- To treat with calcium hydroxide or calcium oxide (lime). If I were you, I'd lime.
- To smear with birdlime.
- To ensnare, catch, entrap. URSULA. She's lim'd, I warrant you: we have caught her, madam. HERO. If it prove so, then loving goes by haps: Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps.
- To apply limewash.
lime²
- /laɪm/
Rhymes with -aɪm
Where it comes from
Lime (17th c.) and line (16th c.) are alterations of obsolete lind, from Middle English lynde, from Old English lind, from Proto-Germanic *lindijō. The phonetic development is unusual, but it has been suggested that it began in compounds (loss of -d- perhaps before tree, the change to -m- before labials as in bark or wood). Doublet of linden, which see.
noun limes
- A deciduous tree of the genus Tilia, especially Tilia × europaea; the linden tree. The linden or lime tree is the favourite haunt of the Elves and cognate beings; and it is not safe to be near it after sunset.
- The wood of this tree.
lime³
- /laɪm/
Rhymes with -aɪm
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French lime, from Spanish lima, from Arabic لِيمَة (līma), from Classical Persian لِیمُو (līmū, līmō), from Sanskrit निम्बू (nimbū, “lime”), ultimately from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *limaw or Munda. Doublet of lemon.
noun limes
- Any of several green citrus fruit, somewhat smaller and sharper-tasting than a lemon.
- Any of the trees that bear limes, especially Key lime, Citrus aurantiifolia.
-
Any of several brilliant, sometimes yellowish, green colours associated with the fruits of a lime tree.
Similar: lime green
-
A particular one of those colours that has been standardized under this name, at least in some organizations' standards.
Similar: lime green
- A fan fiction story which contains sexual references, but stops short of full, explicit descriptions of sexual activity (coined by analogy with lemon). WARNING: This is a lime. While it does not show explicit sex, as a lemon would, references to sexual situations abound.
adjective
- Containing lime or lime juice.
- Having the aroma or flavor of lime.
- Lime-green.
lime⁴
- /laɪm/
Rhymes with -aɪm
Where it comes from
Either a back-formation of limer or from the derogatory term limey, a term first given to British soldiers but also used by Trinidadians for American soldiers who used to hang out idle in Port of Spain during World War 2.
verb limes · liming · limed
- To hang out or socialize in an informal, relaxed environment, especially with friends, for example at a party or on the beach.
noun limes
- A casual gathering to socialize.
lime⁵
- /laɪm/
Rhymes with -aɪm
noun limes
- Alternative form of lyam (“a leash”).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: quicklime, slaked lime, calcium oxide, caustic lime, calcium hydroxide, calx, linden, basswood, birdlime, burnt lime, calcined lime, calcium hydrate, citrus aurantifolia, fluxing lime, hydrated lime, lime hydrate
Translations
Every language
noun inorganic material containing calcium
| Español | cal |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 석회 seokhoe |
| 日本語 | 石灰 sekkai |
| 中文 | 石灰 shíhuī |
| हिन्दी | चूना cūnā |
| Kiswahili | chokaa |
| Português | cal |
| Français | chaux |
| Deutsch | Kalk |
| Italiano | calce |
| Română | oxid de calciu, var |
| Русский | и́звесть ízvestʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | vôi |
| العربية | جِير jīr |
| עברית | סִיד sid |
verb to treat with lime
| Español | encalar |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | चुनाई cunāī |
| Português | caiar |
| Deutsch | kalken |
| Română | vărui |
| Русский | разбра́сывать и́звесть razbrásyvatʹ ízvestʹ |
noun colour
| Español | lima |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 黄緑色 kimidori-iro, ライム色 raimu-iro |
| Português | verde-lima, verde-limão |
| Русский | жё̀лто-зелё́ный žòlto-zeljónyj |
noun green citrus fruit
| Español | lima, limón |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 라임 raim |
| 日本語 | ライム raimu |
| 中文 | 萊檬 /莱檬 láiméng, 萊姆 /莱姆 láimǔ, 酸橙 suānchéng, 青檸 /青柠 qīngníng |
| Kiswahili | ndimu, dimu |
| Português | lima, limão |
| Français | lime, limette, citron vert |
| Deutsch | Limone, Limette |
| Italiano | lime, lima, limetta |
| Ελληνικά | μοσχολέμονο moscholémono |
| Română | limetă, lămâie verde |
| Русский | лайм lajm, ла́йма lájma, зелёный лимо́н zeljónyj limón |
| Tiếng Việt | chanh |
| العربية | لَيْم laym, بَنْزَهِير banzahīr |
noun citrus tree
| Español | limero |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | mdimu |
| Português | limeira |
| Français | limettier, citronnier vert |
| Italiano | lime, lima, limetta |
| Română | limetă |
| Русский | лайм lajm, ла́йма lájma |
adj containing lime or lime juice
| Español | de lima |
|---|---|
| Français | citron vert |
| Deutsch | Limetten- |
| Русский | ла́ймовый lájmovyj |
| Tiếng Việt | vôi |
adj having the aroma or taste of lime
| Deutsch | mit Limettenaroma, mit Limettengeschmack |
|---|
Talk about this word "lime." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lime. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. lime. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lime "lime." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lime.Cite this
@misc{lime_2026,
title = {lime},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lime},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
