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citrus tree

citrus tree

1 2.3
A tree that grows juicy fruits like oranges, lemons, or limes
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪtrəs tri/
translation icon : árbol cítrico
  • He pulled open the sliding glass doors that opened onto his tiny backyard and breathed in the pungent scent of the citrus trees.
  • groves of citrus trees
  • small citrus trees

Examples

  • This avenue ran east to west for almost a mile, bordered by citrus trees whose branches had laced to the density of a thick hedge.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Citrus trees require six to ten years to reach bearing age, and thus investments made in the 1970s began to yield increases during the 1980s.

    Academic text (1997)
  • This is too far north for citrus trees.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • I think I might have figured out a way to fix whatever is going on with my citrus trees.

    Blog text (20)
  • Mind you, it takes about four years for a citrus tree to harden to outdoor living even here.

    Blog text (20)
  • There are scores of citrus trees here, glossy and sweet-smelling, planted just to please us.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The 92 million citrus trees in Florida produce 81 percent of the nation's citrus fruits.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The citrus trees, more sparsely set, fanned out around the edges of the compound as though they had meant to encircle it but failed.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • "But once we got farther south and crossed into Tangerine County, we did start to see groves of citrus trees, and they were an amazing sight."

    Fiction book (2001)
  • In the backyard, we have a citrus tree that produces delicious lemons every summer.

Synonyms

citrus
vscitrus tree
2 3.1

A tree that grows fruits like oranges or lemons

gives typical fruit examples rather than focusing on rind details

How Mature

Citrus sinensis
  • Specialized
3.4
citrus tree
1 2.3
sapling
16 2.7
seedling
20 2.8

Surface Forms

citrus tree singular
citrus trees plural

Morphology

Citrus + tree

The meaning 'a tree of the Citrus genus that bears oranges, lemons, etc.' is directly and transparently derivable from combining 'citrus' (a type of fruit/tree) with 'tree' (a woody perennial plant). This simple noun–noun compound follows a common, predictable compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Citrus tree is a simple picture: a tree that grows citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and limes. The word citrus was an old name for these sour, juicy fruits, so the phrase came to mean 'a tree that produces citrus fruit'.