Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Melon

Mel′on

(mĕl′ŭn)
,
Noun.
[F., fr. L.
melo
, for
melopepo
an apple-shaped melon, Gr.
μηλοπέπων
;
μῆλον
apple +
πέπων
a species of large melon; cf. L.
malum
apple. Cf.
Marmalade
.]
1.
(Bot.)
The juicy fruit of certain cucurbitaceous plants, as the muskmelon, watermelon, and citron melon; also, the plant that produces the fruit.
2.
(Zool.)
A large, ornamental, marine, univalve shell of the genus
Melo
.
Melon beetle
(Zool.)
,
a small leaf beetle (
Diabrotiea vittata
), which damages the leaves of melon vines.
–
Melon cactus
,
Melon thistle
.
(a)
(Bot.)
A genus of cactaceous plants (
Melocactus
) having a fleshy and usually globose stem with the surface divided into spiny longitudinal ridges, and bearing at the top a prickly and woolly crown in which the small pink flowers are half concealed
.
Melocactus communis
, from the West Indies, is often cultivated, and sometimes called
Turk’s cap
.
(b)
The related genus
Mamillaria
, in which the stem is tubercled rather than ribbed, and the flowers sometimes large. See Illust. under
Cactus
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Melon

MEL'ON

,
Noun.
[L. melo; Gr. an apple; L. mollis.] The name of certain plants and their fruit, as the water-melon, the musk-melon.

Definition 2024

melon

melon

See also: melón and mełon

English

Noun

melon ‎(countable and uncountable, plural melons)

  1. (countable) Any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae grown for food, generally not including the cucumber.
    1. Genus Cucurbita, various musk melons, including the honeydew and the cantaloupes, and the horned melon.
    2. Genus Citrullus, the watermelon and others
    3. Genus Benincasa, a winter melon
    4. Genus Momordica, the bitter melon
  2. (uncountable) The fruit of such plants.
  3. (uncountable) A light pinkish orange colour, like that of some melon flesh.
    melon colour:    
  4. (chiefly plural, slang) Breasts.
    • 2013, K. L. Brady, Got a Right to Be Wrong (page 107)
      “Wait a minute.” I said. “James with another woman? Mommy, that doesn't even sound right?” “It's true. I caught him squeezing her melons.”
    • 2013, Thomas Berger, Crazy in Berlin
      She indicated her left melon, underneath which lay the heart. “Because you stuck with me, and whether you ever said it or not, that is love.”
  5. (countable, slang) The head.
  6. (countable, Australia, New Zealand, derogatory) A member of the Green Party, or similar environmental group.
  7. (countable) A mass of adipose tissue found in the forehead of all toothed whales, used to focus and modulate vocalizations.
Translations

Adjective

melon

  1. Of a light pinkish orange colour, like that of melon flesh.
Translations
Derived terms

See also

  • Appendix:Colors

Etymology 2

Noun

melon ‎(uncountable)

  1. (chemistry) The result of heptazine being polymerized with the tri-s-triazine units linked through an amine (NH) link.

Anagrams

Danish

Noun

melon c (singular definite melonen, plural indefinite meloner)

  1. melon

Declension

Derived terms

References

Esperanto

Noun

melon

  1. accusative singular of melo

Finnish

Verb

melon

  1. First-person singular indicative present form of meloa.

French

Etymology

Old French melon, from Medieval Latin. More at English melon.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mə.lɔ̃/

Noun

melon m ‎(plural melons)

  1. melon (fruit)

Derived terms

Indonesian

Noun

melon

  1. melon

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

melon m ‎(definite singular melonen, indefinite plural meloner, definite plural melonene)

  1. melon

Derived terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

melon m ‎(definite singular melonen, indefinite plural melonar, definite plural melonane)

  1. melon

References

Old French

Noun

melon m ‎(oblique plural melons, nominative singular melons, nominative plural melon)

  1. melon (fruit)
    • 1256, Aldebrandin de Sienne, Rég. du corps
      fera une decoction de violetes, de poumes de semence de cahoides, de melons, de citroles, d'ierbes froides

Descendants

Polish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): ['mɜ.lɔn]

Noun

melon m anim

  1. melon (fruit)
  2. (colloquial) female breast
  3. (colloquial) one million PLN

Declension

Etymology

From Old French melon, from Medieval Latin melonem, from Latin melopeponem ‎(“type of pumpkin”), from Ancient Greek μηλοπέπων ‎(mēlopépōn), from μῆλον ‎(mêlon, “apple”) + πέπων ‎(pépōn, “ripe”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈmɛlən/
  • Rhymes: -ɛlən

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