🍈 A green fruit ⚪ A white powder 🌳 A leafy tree 🪤 A sticky trap 🪤 To set sticky trap ⚪ To add powder

to lime

9.9

To put a sticky substance on branches to catch small birds

verb
/laɪm/

Archaic

: untar con pegamento para aves

It was once common practice to lime the hedgerows in rural villages.

Examples

They decided to lime the trees in the orchard.
Hunters used to lime the branches of trees to trap unsuspecting songbirds.
Conservation groups condemn the act of liming as cruel and unnecessary.
The farmer limed the branches to catch more birds.
He decided to lime the trees in his garden to attract birds for their beautiful singing.
To catch the elusive songbirds, the naturalist carefully limed the branches overnight.
The young birdwatcher learned how to lime the branches in a safe and ethical manner.

Synonyms

to birdlime

vsto lime

Archaic

9.9

To coat branches with a sticky substance to catch small birds

means the same action but focuses on spreading the substance

Compounds

lime juice

15 1.0

A liquid from limes that adds sour taste to food or drinks

key lime

11 3.0

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

lime tree

1 3.0

A large tree with heart-shaped leaves and sweet-smelling flowers used for timber

burnt lime

Specialized

7.4

A white powder made by heating limestone that reacts with water

calcined lime

Specialized

8.1

A white powder made by heating limestone that is used to make lime and in industry

caustic lime

Specialized

6.6

A white powder made by heating limestone, used in building and farming

chloride of lime

Archaic

7.6

A white powder used to bleach and kill germs

chlorinated lime

Archaic

7.4

A white powder used to bleach and kill germs in water and on surfaces

dead-burned lime

Specialized

9.8

Material made by heating limestone until it stops reacting and does not bind well

deadburned lime

Specialized

9.7

A type of lime heated so much it stops reacting and cannot bind materials

American lime

6.6

A large tree from North America with dark green leaves that gives shade

fluxing lime

Specialized

9.9

A white powder used to help melt and clean metals and to make slaked lime

lime hydrate

Specialized

7.4

A white powder used in plaster and to make soil less acidic

lime tree

2.0

A tree that grows small green fruits called limes

lime-juicer

2.9

A small kitchen tool for squeezing juice from limes

milk of lime

Specialized

8.2

A milky liquid used to make things less acidic, for example in tanning and water treatment

hydrated lime

Specialized

6.1

A white powder used in building, farming, and cleaning water

Japanese lime

6.5

A medium-sized tree from Japan grown in gardens for its pretty leaves and flowers

Rangpur lime

6.8

A small fruit like an orange but with very sour juice

over-burned lime

Specialized

8.7

A type of lime heated too much so it does not react with water or make strong mortar

overburned lime

Specialized

9.5

A hard powder made from limestone heated too much that does not react and makes weak mortar

sand-lime brick

Specialized

6.7

A type of brick made from sand and lime used for building

sweet lime

3.4

A fruit like a lemon but sweeter and less sour

silver lime

7.5

A large tree with leaves that are white and soft underneath and often planted in parks

slaked lime

Specialized

6.9

A soft white powder made by adding water to quicklime used to make plaster and to reduce soil acidity

small-leaved lime

8.1

A large European tree with small dark green leaves often planted in parks

soda lime

Specialized

6.1

A chemical that removes carbon dioxide and moisture from air

Spanish lime tree

7.9

A tropical tree that produces small green fruits with sweet, juicy flesh

Spanish lime

7.9

A small green fruit with thin skin and sweet juicy pulp you eat like a grape

Spanish lime

8.9

A tropical tree that has small green fruits with sweet juicy pulp

unslaked lime

Specialized

9.9

A white, very strong chemical used to make mortar and cement

Surface Forms

lime infinitive

limed past

limed past participle

liming present participle

limes third person singular

Etymology

Lime (verb, put birdlime on branches) comes from the noun lime meaning the sticky paste used to trap birds, so to 'lime' is simply to cover a branch with that sticky material to catch birds.