citrus (English)

Where does "citrus" come from?

The English word 'citrus' descends from the Latin 'citrus', which originally referred to the 'citron tree' or 'thuja'[1][2]. The Latin term likely passed through Etruscan and originates from the Ancient Greek 'kédros'[1][2]. Because of this shared ancestry, 'citrus' is considered a doublet of 'cedar'[1]. The ultimate origin of the Greek source remains uncertain and potentially stems from a Mediterranean Pre-Greek borrowing[3].

Open questions

• The path of the word from Ancient Greek through Etruscan into Latin is considered a likely borrowing rather than a fully confirmed route. [1] [2]
• The origin of the Greek form 'kédros' is unknown and may involve pre-Greek influences or connections to various Semitic terms for resins and scents. [3] [4]

Full etymology tree

• citrus (English), 'Any of several shrubs or trees of the genus Citrus in the family Rutaceae.'
  • borrowed citrus (Latin), 'thuja'
    • borrowed κέδρος (kédros) (Ancient Greek), 'cedar (tree of genus Cedrus or Juniperus)'
      • influence قطران (qaṭrān) (Arabic), 'tar'
      • influence 𒌑𒆐𒊏𒀀𒉡 (qatrānu) (Akkadian)

Ancestors

• citrus (Latin)
• κέδρος (Ancient Greek)

Cognates and doublets

• cedar (English)

Descendants and derived words

• citral (English)
• citrange (English)
• citric acid (English)
• citropten (English)
• citrus black spot (English)
• Citrus County (English)
• citrus fruit (English)
• citrus greening (English)
• citruslike (English)
• noncitrus (English)

Sources

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

Updated August 2026

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