lime

Etymology 1

From Middle English lyme, lym, lime, from Old English līm, from Proto-West Germanic *līm, from Proto-Germanic *līmaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyH- (“to smear”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Liem (“glue”), Dutch lijm, German Leim (“glue”), Danish lim (from Old Norse lím), Latin limus (“mud”).

noun

1. (chemistry) Any inorganic material containing calcium, usually calcium oxide (quicklime) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime).
   Lime, which is the product of the burning of chalk or limestone, might be bought ready burnt, or it could be burnt in kilns specially constructed in the neighbourhood of the building operations. 1952, L.F. Salzman, Building in England, page 149
2. (poetic) Any gluey or adhesive substance; something which traps or captures someone; sometimes a synonym for birdlime.
   Like the lime which foolish birds are caught with. 1835, William Wordsworth, They called Thee Merry England, in old time [first line of unnamed poem]
3. (theater) A spotlight.
   Sellers moved on until he was actually trusted to operate the limes, the spotlights that can make or destroy an artist's act. 1980, Peter Evans, Peter Sellers: The Mask Behind the Mask, page 30
   Then out of the blue, a spotlight much like the “limes” in a theatre, lit up what seemed like a Punch and Judy tent […] He struggled even more, when from out of the shadows and into the bright light of the limes, stepped Uncle Jolly. 2018, Robert Charles Hines, Twists and Turns: 13 Tales of the Uneasy, page 121

verb

1. (transitive) To treat with calcium hydroxide or calcium oxide (lime).
   If I were you, I'd lime. 1917, Rudyard Kipling, The Land
2. (transitive) To smear with birdlime.
   1. (rare) To ensnare, catch, entrap.
      Abraham, like his parents, seemed to have been limed and caught by the ensnaring inn. 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, volume 1, London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., page 39
3. (transitive) To apply limewash.

Etymology 2

Lime (17th c.) and line (16th c.) are alterations of obsolete lind, from Middle English lynde, from Old English lind, from Proto-Germanic *lindijō. The phonetic development is unusual, but it has been suggested that it began in compounds (loss of -d- perhaps before tree, the change to -m- before labials as in bark or wood). Doublet of linden, which see.

noun

1. A deciduous tree of the genus Tilia, especially Tilia × europaea; the linden tree.
2. The wood of this tree.

Etymology 3

From French lime, from Spanish lima, from Arabic لِيمَة (līma), from Persian لیمو (limu). Doublet of lemon.

noun

1. Any of several green citrus fruit, somewhat smaller and sharper-tasting than a lemon.
2. Any of the trees that bear limes, especially Key lime, Citrus aurantiifolia.
3. (uncountable) A brilliant, sometimes yellowish, green colour associated with the fruits of a lime tree.
   lime:
   web lime:
4. (fandom slang) A fan fiction story which contains sexual references, but stops short of full, explicit descriptions of sexual activity (coined by analogy with lemon).
   WARNING: This is a lime. While it does not show explicit sex, as a lemon would, references to sexual situations abound. 8 June 1998, Gary Kleppe, “[Ranma][Fanfic] Tangled Web”, in rec.arts.anime.creative (Usenet)
   Even with all the sex in Garden of EVA, I still think the main stories are better for just being the lemon-scented limes that they are. 29 December 1998, jiml...@earthlink.net, “[EVA][FanFic][Lemon] Garden of EVA 0:6x - Wet Dreams Bite!”, in rec.arts.anime.creative (Usenet)
   I have no intention of writing any lemon scenes, limes are possibilities but unlikely and if they occur they will be few in number. 27 November 2001, Schemer, “[Ranma/SF][FanFic] A Learning Experience - Chapter 01”, in rec.arts.anime.creative (Usenet)

adj

1. Containing lime or lime juice.
2. Having the aroma or flavor of lime.
3. Lime-green.

Etymology 4

Back-formation from limer.

verb

1. (Caribbean, Trinidad & Tobago) To hang out/socialize in an informal, relaxed environment, especially with friends, for example at a party or on the beach.

noun

1. (Caribbean, Trinidad & Tobago) A casual gathering to socialize.

Etymology 5

noun

1. Alternative form of lyam (“a leash”)