citron (English)

Where does "citron" come from?

The English noun 'citron' was borrowed from the French word 'citron', meaning 'lemon' or 'lime'[1]. The French term ultimately traces back to the Latin 'citrus', which referred to the citron tree or thuja[1][2]. This Latin word is believed to have come through Etruscan from the Ancient Greek 'kédros', meaning 'cedar'[1][4].

Open questions

• The intermediate transmission through Etruscan from Ancient Greek to Latin is considered probable rather than certain. [1] [4]
• The ultimate origin of the Ancient Greek source word remains unknown, with possible Pre-Greek or Semitic connections. [3]

Full etymology tree

• citron (English), 'A greenish yellow colour.'
  • borrowed citron (French), 'lemon'
    • inherited citrus (Latin), 'thuja'
      • borrowed (Etruscan)
        • borrowed κέδρος (kédros) (Ancient Greek), 'cedar (tree of genus Cedrus or Juniperus)'

Ancestors

• citron (French)
• κέδρος (Ancient Greek)

Descendants and derived words

• citronwood (English)
• seatron (English)

Sources

1. citron (English) - Wiktionary
2. citron (French) - Wiktionary
3. κέδρος (kédros) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
4. citrus (Latin) - Wiktionary
5. قطران (Arabic) - Wiktionary

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris