lime

lime

lime¹ [līm]

n.

[ME < OE līm, akin to Ger leim < IE base * (s)lei-, SLIME, wet and sticky, to smooth over > Gr leios, smooth, L limus, slime, mud, linere, to smear, levis, smooth, OE lam, clay]

1. short for BIRDLIME

2. a white substance, calcium oxide, CaO, obtained by the action of heat on limestone, shells, and other material containing calcium carbonate, and used in making mortar and cement, and, when hydrated, in neutralizing acid soil

3. a calcareous deposit from water inside pipes, pans, etc.

vt.

limed, liming

1. to cement

2. to smear with birdlime

3. to catch with or as with birdlime

4. to apply lime to; treat with lime

lime² [līm]

n.

[Fr < Prov limo < Ar līmaḥ < līm, citrus fruit > LEMON]

1. a small, lemon-shaped, greenish-yellow citrus fruit with a juicy, sour pulp, rich in ascorbic acid

2. the small, thorny, semitropical citrus tree (Citrus aurantifolia) that it grows on, originally native to S Asia

3. greenish yellow

adj.

1. made with or of limes

2. having a flavor like that of limes

3. greenish-yellow

lime³ [līm]

n.

[< earlier line < ME lind: see LINDEN]

LINDEN