Lemon Etymology Explained

Full etymology of "lemon"

The word "lemon" has a rich etymological history that can be traced back through several languages. The modern English word "lemon" is derived from the Old French word "limon," which itself comes from the Italian "limone." These words can be traced back to the Arabic "laymūn" or "līmūn" (ليمون), which referred to both lemons and limes.

The Arabic word is thought to have been borrowed from the Persian "limu" (لیمو) or "limun" (لیمون), which referred to citrus fruits in general. The Persian word, in turn, is likely to have been derived from a Middle Indic or Prakrit language, possibly from the Old Indian word "limbu" (लिंबू) or "nimbu" (निम्बू) which also referred to a type of citrus fruit.

The origin of the word can be traced even further back to the Sanskrit word "nimbu" (निम्बू), which denoted a citrus fruit as well. The exact origin of the word in Sanskrit is not clear, but it may have been derived from a Dravidian language or another non-Indo-European source, possibly from a region where citrus fruits were native.

Lemons are thought to have originated in Northeast India, Northern Myanmar, or China, and they were spread by trade throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean region. The word "lemon" reflects the fruit's journey through different cultures and languages as it became more widely known and cultivated.