lime.
Any inorganic material containing calcium, usually calcium oxide (quicklime) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime).
Meaning & usage
Any inorganic material containing calcium, usually calcium oxide (quicklime) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime).
Any gluey or adhesive substance that traps or captures; sometimes a synonym for birdlime.
A limelight; any spotlight.
Where this word 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”).
To treat with calcium hydroxide or calcium oxide (lime).
To smear with birdlime.
To smear with birdlime. To ensnare, catch, entrap.
To apply limewash.
Where this word 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”).
A deciduous tree of the genus Tilia, especially Tilia × europaea; the linden tree.
The wood of this tree.
Where this word 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.
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.
Any of several brilliant, sometimes yellowish, green colours associated with the fruits of a lime tree. A particular one of those colours that has been standardized under this name, at least in some organizations' standards.
A fan fiction story which contains sexual references, but stops short of full, explicit descriptions of sexual activity (coined by analogy with lemon).
Where this word 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.
Containing lime or lime juice.
Having the aroma or flavor of lime.
Lime-green.
Where this word 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.
To hang out or socialize in an informal, relaxed environment, especially with friends, for example at a party or on the beach.
Where this word 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.
A casual gathering to socialize.
Where this word 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.
Alternative form of lyam (“a leash”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.