noun
melon
MEL-un/ˈmelən/
A large fruit with juicy flesh and a thick rind.
The cut melon reveals juicy flesh and a central seed cavity.
Etymology
The ancestral name meant “gourd-apple” and covered several gourds bearing sweet fruit. “Apple” here had the broader sense of fruit, making the compound a description of the sweet produce of a gourd plant.
In context
that grows to about a foot in length and is oval in shape. It has a thick, green-striped outer rind and pale green to white inner flesh with a mild melon flavour and sweetness close to honeydew melons.
More examples
- A ripe melon gives off a sweet smell.
- The market sells several kinds of melons.
- He scooped the seeds from the melon.
Forms
melon · melons
Similar words
- watermelon
- A particular kind of melon with watery flesh.
- cantaloupe
- A familiar orange-fleshed melon type.