citron (French)

Where does "citron" come from?

The French noun 'citron' traces back to the Latin word 'citrus', which meant 'citron tree' or 'thuja'[1]. This Latin term itself likely traveled via Etruscan from the Ancient Greek word 'κέδρος', meaning 'cedar' or 'juniper'[2]. Over time, the meaning shifted to refer to the fruit, and eventually acquired various extended senses including a type of lime, a brimstone butterfly, a head or noggin, and a defective item.

Open questions

• The intermediate transmission from Ancient Greek to Latin through Etruscan is considered probable rather than certain. [2]

Full etymology tree

• citron (French), 'lemon'
  • derived citrus (Latin), 'thuja'
    • borrowed (Etruscan)
      • derived κέδρος (kédros) (Ancient Greek), 'cedar (tree of genus Cedrus or Juniperus)'

Cognates and doublets

• κέδρος (Ancient Greek)

Descendants and derived words

• citronnade (French)
• citronnelle (French)
• citronnier (French)
• citron vert (French)
• jaune citron (French)
• presse-citron (French)
• quercitron (French)
• se presser le citron (French)

Sources

1. citron (French) - Wiktionary
2. citrus (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated September 2026

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