Citrus aurantifolia

7.4

A small tree from Southeast Asia that makes small round fruits called key limes

noun
/ˈsɪtrəs ɔːˌrɑːn.tɪˈfoʊ.li.ə/

Specialized

: limón clave

Many chefs prefer juice from Citrus aurantifolia for its distinctive tart flavor.

Examples

The Citrus aurantifolia tree thrives in tropical climates.
The tropical climate is ideal for growing Citrus aurantifolia commercially.
Botanists have studied the resilience of Citrus aurantifolia in saline soils.
Many chefs love using Citrus aurantifolia in their recipes.
Many chefs prefer juice from Citrus aurantifolia for its distinctive tart flavor.
The tropical climate is ideal for growing Citrus aurantifolia commercially.
The Citrus aurantifolia tree thrives in warm, sunny environments.

Synonyms

key lime

vsCitrus aurantifolia

11 3.0

A small round yellow-green lime with a very tart taste used in desserts

is the small evergreen tree from Southeast Asia grown for that fruit

Surface Forms

Citrus aurantifolia singular

Citrus aurantifolias plural

Morphology

Citrus + aurantifolia

This is a botanical binomial: the genus 'Citrus' clearly signals a citrus plant, so a learner who knows 'citrus' can infer the item is a kind of citrus. However, 'aurantifolia' is a Latin species epithet (not ordinary vocabulary) and does not transparently yield the specific sense 'key lime' or other properties to an average B1 learner without specialized knowledge, so the exact referent is not predictable.

Etymology

Citrus aurantifolia comes from old words meaning 'orange' and 'leaf', shown in aurant- and -folia. This gives the picture of a small lime tree with orange-like leaves and helps you remember it is the citrus tree that makes the tart 'key lime' fruit.