Spanish lime
- noun
- /ˈspænɪʃ laɪm/
- US
:
mamoncillo
- She showed us how to peel the Spanish lime and eat the juicy pulp inside.
Examples
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We bought a bag of Spanish limes from the market and enjoyed their sweet, tangy flavor.
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The Spanish lime is popular in many Caribbean countries as a summer snack.
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I love eating Spanish lime during the summer.
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Have you ever tried Spanish limes?
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The Spanish lime is a favorite fruit in tropical regions due to its sweet flavor.
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After picking the Spanish lime from the tree, we savored its juicy pulp on a hot day.
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Many people enjoy the Spanish lime as a refreshing snack during warm summer months.
Synonyms
A tropical tree that produces small green fruits with sweet, juicy flesh
A tropical tree that makes small sweet green fruits people eat
A tropical tree that makes small sweet fruits with thick green skin and juicy pulp
A small tropical tree that has sweet, juicy fruit with green skin
A tropical American tree that has small sweet green fruits
A tropical tree that grows small round fruits with green skin and sweet, juicy flesh
A tropical American tree that bears small sweet juicy fruits with green skin
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although the parts 'Spanish' and 'lime' suggest a variety or origin of the familiar citrus fruit, the term denotes a specific tropical species (Melicoccus bijugatus) that is not a true citrus lime and is not transparently linked to Spain. The overall meaning is a lexicalized plant/fruit name whose sense cannot be reliably derived from the constituents, so learners who know the words would likely infer the wrong thing.
Etymology
Spanish lime also names the tree that makes the fruit because people used the same word for the plant and its fruit. So the name now means 'a tropical tree that bears a small green fruit with sweet, juicy pulp'.
