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melon

 - 3 dictionary results

mel⋅on

[mel-uhn]
–noun
1. the fruit of any of various plants of the gourd family, as the muskmelon or watermelon.
2. medium crimson or deep pink.
3. the visible upper portion of the head of a surfacing whale or dolphin, including the beak, eyes, and blowhole.
4. Informal.
a. a large extra dividend, often in the form of stock, to be distributed to stockholders: Profits zoomed so in the last quarter that the corporation cut a nice melon.
b. any windfall of money to be divided among specified participants.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME < LL mēlōn- (s. of mēlō), short for mēlopepō < Gk mēlopépōn apple-shaped melon, equiv. to mêlo(n) apple + pépōn pepo
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mel·on   (měl'ən)   
n.  
  1. Any of several varieties of two related vines (Cucumis melo or Citrullus lanatus) widely cultivated for their edible fruit.

  2. The fruit of any of these plants, having a hard rind and juicy flesh.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin mēlō, mēlōn-, short for Latin mēlopepō, from Greek mēlopepōn : mēlon, apple + pepōn, gourd.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

melon 
c.1387, from O.Fr. melon, from M.L. melonem (nom. melo), from L. melopeponem, a kind of pumpkin, from Gk. melopepon "gourd-apple" (name for several kinds of gourds bearing sweet fruit), from melon "apple" (from PIE source attested in Hittite mahla- "grapevine, branch") + pepon, a kind of gourd, noun use of pepon "ripe." In Gk., melon "apple" was used in a generic way for all foreign fruits.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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