lime1
/lʌɪm
/noun
1 (also quicklime) [mass noun] A white caustic alkaline substance consisting of calcium oxide, which is obtained by heating limestone and which combines with water with the production of much heat.By pressing a button on the bottom, water mixes with quicklime, producing a chemical reaction that heats the coffee....
- Kathleen Jamie should have used quicklime rather than caustic soda to deflesh her gannet's skull, but maggots would have been best.
- In the laboratory higher concentration ethanol, with less water, can be produced by refluxing the rectified spirit with quicklime and then distilling the alcohol mixture.
1.1 (also slaked lime) A white alkaline substance consisting of calcium hydroxide, made by adding water to quicklime and used in traditional building methods to make plaster, mortar, and limewash.Well-versed in building and building materials, he used a traditional mortar of lime and sand to decorate his small cottage with shells....
- Check whether your building or part of it is constructed with any of the traditional building materials like lime, laterite, granite, wood, mud or the like.
- Thin slices of the nut, either natural or processed, may be mixed with a variety of substances including slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) and spices such as cardamom, coconut, and saffron.
1.2(In general use) any of a number of calcium compounds, especially calcium hydroxide, used as an additive to soil or water.In its pure form it is a light, whitish metal; but it is seldom thus seen because it reacts violently with water to form lime (calcium hydroxide)....
- Additionally, lime enables soils that are not productive to become effective.
- In general, lime does not move downward further than plow depth in an organic soil.
2 archaic Birdlime.
verb [with object]
1Treat (soil or water) with lime to reduce acidity and improve fertility or oxygen levels: they were liming acidified lakes...
- Soil is limed in some areas to improve barley growth and productivity on acid soils, but this practice is often economically unfeasible.
- The soil was limed by applying 5 • 5 g CaCO 3 kg - 1 soil.
- The rest will become available over time, and many nutrients will also become more available when a soil is limed.
1.1 (often as adjective limed) Give (wood) a bleached appearance by treating it with lime: limed oak dining furniture...
- A room currently used as a study, but which could also make a third bedroom, also has a cast-iron fireplace as well as built-in presses and limed tongue-and-groove floorboards.
- Beds are set on platforms or suspended from ceilings, bathtubs are hewn from blocks of black granite or pale limestone, and the bare wood floorboards are wide, limed and lacquered.
- The kitchen, to the rear, has limed oak units at ground and eye level, a tiled worktop and splashback.
2 archaic Catch (a bird) with birdlime: the bird that hath been limed in a bush
Derivatives
limy
/ adjective (limier, limiest) ...- In the garden it likes sun or partial shade and well-drained acid soil - like most Ericas it dislikes being grown in limy conditions.
- Limy soil does not affect the colour of their flowers as it does mopheads (blue mopheads tend to turn pink in limy soils).
- The stone that makes up the cliff face is known as limy sandstone, a sedimentary rock.
limeless
Origin
Old English līm, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lijm, German Leim, also to loam.
lemon from Middle English:
The root of lemon and also lime (mid 17th century) is an Arabic word, lim, that was a collective term for citrus fruit. On fruit machines the lemon is the least valuable symbol, and this may be behind the answer is a lemon ‘the response or outcome is unsatisfactory’. Especially in the USA, a lemon may be a substandard or defective car, of the type all too often bought from shady used-car dealers.
Rhymes
lime2
/lʌɪm/noun
1A rounded citrus fruit similar to a lemon but greener, smaller, and with a distinctive acid flavour: roughly chop two limes [mass noun]: wedges of lime [as modifier]: lime juice...
- Surprisingly complex for one so young, delivering flavours of spice, limes, lemons, orange peel and oatmeal, all harmoniously threaded with ripe acidity.
- The citric acid in lemons or limes has a similar effect, although this is not called ‘cooking’.
- Oranges, lemons, limes, mandarins or other citrus fruit from Queensland will be banned from entering any other state or territory, threatening at least $100 million worth of fruit still to be picked in the state.
1.1 [mass noun] A drink made from or flavoured with lime juice: lager and lime...
- Her favourite drink right now is vodka, lime and soda.
- I changed my drinks, brandy, lime and soda now and different pretty little cigs in pretty packets.
- Blackcurrent cordial for lime, lemonade for soda.
2 (also lime tree) The evergreen citrus tree which produces limes, widely cultivated in warm climates.
- Citrus aurantifolia, family Rutaceae.
- In the western zone, oranges, limes, and bananas are cultivated.
- It belongs to the citrus family, Rutaceae, but is not a true lime.
3 (also lime green) [mass noun] A bright light green colour like that of a lime: [as modifier]: a lime-green bikini...
- Big colours include pink, lime green, bright blues and more sombre chocolate browns and off whites.
- We contemplated lots of different colors before settling on some sort of lime green or apple green.
- Now I have on a bright neon lime green T-shirt and I'm not a small girl, so you can't miss me.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from French, from modern Provençal limo, Spanish lima, from Arabic līma; compare with lemon.
lime3
/lʌɪm/(also lime tree)
noun
A deciduous tree with heart-shaped leaves and fragrant yellowish blossom, native to north temperate regions. The pale timber is used for carving and inexpensive furniture. Also called linden.
- Genus Tilia, family Tiliaceae: many species, including the widely grown hybrid common lime (T. × europaea), and the small-leaved lime (T. cordata), which dominated the pre-Neolithic forests of much of lowland England.
- The gardens which surround the property include beech, lime and holm oak trees while in the eastern corner is an ancient churchyard.
- Some willow trees will be lost by the development but trees like hornbeam, lime and birch will remain with preservation orders on them.
Origin
Early 17th century: alteration of obsolete line, from Old English lind (see linden).
lime4
/lʌɪm/West Indian
verb [no object, with adverbial]
Sit or stand around talking with others: boys and girls were liming along the roadside as if they didn’t have anything to do...
- Police reports stated that at around 6.45 pm, Phillip, 21, was liming near the basketball court at upper Gokool Street, Diego Martin, when a man approached him and fired several shots.
- And at 1 am yesterday, a Dibe, Long Circular resident, who was recently released from prison was gunned down as he was liming outside his home.
- Those involved in the investigation said Sean, was liming with two friends near his home around 7 am.
noun
An informal social gathering characterized by semi-ritualized talking.But Trinis are such that they will continue to go to Carnival shows and fêtes and dinners and limes with their friends, and so on....
- Take the case of a small lime hosted on Friday 13 by jazz pianist Raf Robertson.
- On Tuesday night last week, Natty and I enjoyed ourselves immensely at a little lime in our complex.
Origin
Origin uncertain; said to be from Limey (because of the number of British sailors present during the Second World War), or from suck a lime, expressing bitterness at not being invited to a gathering.
- brigade major
- brigadier
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- Brigadoon
- brigalow
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- brigandage
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- brigantine
- Briggs, Henry
- bright
- bright and early
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- bright-coloured
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- bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
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- Bright, John
- bright lights
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- Brighton
- Brighton Beach