Lime

Pronunciation

• IPA: /laɪm/
• Rhymes: -aɪm

Old English līm, from Proto-Germanic *līmaz. Cognate with Danish lim (from Old Norse lím), Dutch lijm, German Leim; Latin limus ("mud").

Full definition of lime

Noun

1. (chemistry) A general term for inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide; quicklime.
• 1952, L.F. Salzman, Building in England, page 149.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.
2. (poetic) Any gluey or adhesive substance; something which traps or captures someone; sometimes a synonym for birdlime.
• 1610, , by William Shakespeare, act 4 scene 1Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, and away with the rest.
• unknown date WordsworthLike the lime that foolish birds are caught with.

Derived terms

Verb

1. (transitive) To treat with calcium hydroxide or calcium oxide (lime).
2. (transitive) To smear with birdlime.
1. (rare) To ensnare, catch, entrap.
• 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing,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.
3. (transitive) To apply limewash

An alteration of line, a variant form of lind.

Noun

1. A deciduous tree of the genus Tilia, especially ; the linden tree, or its wood.
• Eliot Middlemarch|3she looked before her, not consciously seeing, but absorbing into the intensity of her mood, the solemn glory of the afternoon with its long swathes of light between the far-off rows of limes, whose shadows touched each other.

Related terms

• linden

Usage notes

Both this and the citrus are trees with fragrant flowers, but this is more temperate and the citrus is more tropical and subtropical. Outside of Europe and adjoining parts of Asia, the citrus sense is much more common

From French lime, from Spanish lima, from Arabic ليمة (līma).

Noun

1. A green citrus fruit, somewhat smaller and sharper-tasting than a lemon.
2. Any of the trees that bear limes, especially .
3. A light, somewhat yellowish, green colour associated with the fruits of a lime tree.

Derived terms

Usage notes

Both this and the linden are trees with fragrant flowers, but the linden is more temperate and this is more tropical and subtropical. Outside of Europe and adjoining parts of Asia, this sense is much more common

Adjective

1. Containing lime or lime juice.
2. Having the aroma or flavor of lime.
3. Lime-green.

Back-formation from limer.

Verb

1. (West Indies) To hang out/socialize in an informal, relaxed environment, especially with friends, for example at a party or on the beach.

From lime (the fruit) as comparable to lemon (a more explicit rating in anime).

Noun

1. (anime) A fan fiction story that stops short of full, explicit descriptions of sexual activity; a story characterized by PG-13 level explicitness; or one that approaches an intimate scene, and then goes "off-camera", with the intimacy left to the reader's imagination.

Anagrams

• Emil, mile