lime
UK[laɪm]US[laɪm]
n
A white substance obtained by heating limestone, used in making cement and for reducing acid in soil.
n
A round, green citrus fruit with a sour taste.
n
A bright light green colour.
v
To treat soil or land with lime to reduce its acidity.
Etymology
The word 'lime' presents a fascinating case of semantic branching from a single, ancient root. Its journey begins with the Proto-Indo-European concept of stickiness, conveyed by the root slei-. This evolved into the Proto-Germanic word for glue, līmaz, which Old English adopted as 'līm,' specifically for sticky substances like birdlime and mortar. The modern chemical sense for the alkaline material (calcium oxide) derives directly from its use in making cement. The fruit's name, however, took a different path; it entered Middle English from French ('lime') and Spanish ('lima'), borrowed from Arabic ('līma'), which itself likely traced back from Persian ('līmū'). The colour sense is a simple metonymic shift from the fruit. Thus, one spelling unites distinct historical lineages—one native, concerning adhesion and chemistry, and one borrowed, denoting a tart citrus.
Analysis
The modern English word 'lime' is a simplex word. It descends from the Old English 'līm', meaning "sticky substance, birdlime, mortar." This Old English term has a Proto-Germanic origin (līmaz, meaning "glue") and is ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root slei-/sli-, meaning "slime, slimy, sticky."
Examples
Farmers often lime their fields to improve the soil quality for crops.
She added a squeeze of fresh lime to her glass of water.
The walls were painted a cheerful shade of lime.