orange

1. 1. Any of several southeast Asian evergreen trees of the genus Citrus, widely cultivated in warm regions and having fragrant white flowers and round fruit with a yellowish or reddish rind and a sectioned, pulpy interior, especially C. sinensis, the sweet orange, and C. aurantium, the Seville or sour orange.
   2. The fruit of any of these trees, having a sweetish, acidic juice.
2. Any of several similar plants, such as the Osage orange and the mock orange.
3. The hue of that portion of the visible spectrum lying between red and yellow, evoked in the human observer by radiant energy with wavelengths of approximately 590 to 630 nanometers; any of a group of colors between red and yellow in hue, of medium lightness and moderate saturation.

1. Of the color orange.
2. Made from oranges.
3. Tasting or smelling like oranges.

[Middle English, from Old French pume orenge, translation and alteration (influenced by Orenge, Orange, a town in France) of Old Italian melarancio : mela, fruit + arancio, orange tree (alteration of Arabic nāranj , from Persian nārang , from Sanskrit nārangaḥ , possibly of Dravidian origin).]

WORD HISTORY   Oranges imported to China from the United States reflect a journey come full circle, for the orange had worked its way westward for centuries, originating in China, then being introduced to India, and traveling on to the Middle East, into Europe, and finally to the New World. The history of the word orange keeps step with this journey only part of the way. The word is possibly ultimately from Dravidian, a family of languages spoken in southern India and northern Sri Lanka. The Dravidian word or words were adopted into the Indo-European language Sanskrit with the form nārangaḥ. As the fruit passed westward, so did the word, as evidenced by Persian nārang and Arabic nāranj. Arabs brought the first oranges to Spain, and the fruit rapidly spread throughout Europe. The important word for the development of our term is Old Italian melarancio, derived from mela, "fruit," and arancio, "orange tree," from Arabic nāranj. Old Italian melarancio was translated into Old French as pume orenge, the o replacing the a because of the influence of the name of the town of Orange, from which oranges reached the northern part of France. The final stage of the odyssey of the word was its borrowing into English from the Old French form orenge. Our word is first recorded in Middle English in a text probably composed around 1380, a time preceding the arrival of the orange in the New World.

For more information on orange, visit Britannica.com.

The sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) is the most widely used species of citrus fruit and commercially is the most important. The sour or bitter oranges, of lesser importance, are distinct from sweet oranges and are classified as a separate species, C. aurantium. The United States is the largest producer of oranges, followed by Spain, Italy, and Brazil. The orange is also a major crop in several other countries.

Sweet orange fruit is consumed fresh or as frozen or canned juice. A large portion of the crop, particularly in the United States, is used as frozen concentrate. After the juice is extracted, the peel and pulp are used for cattle feed. Peel oil is used in perfumes and flavoring, and citrus molasses is used as a livestock feed.

The sweet orange tree is a moderately vigorous evergreen with a rounded, densely foliated top. The fruits are round or somewhat elongate and usually orange-colored when ripe. They can be placed in four groups: the common oranges, acid-less oranges, pigmented oranges, and navel oranges. They may also be distinguished on the basis of early midseason, and late maturity. See also Fruit; Fruit, tree.

Citrus fruit, from the subtropical tree Citrus sinensis. Of nutritional value mainly because of its vitamin C content of 40-60 mg/ 100 g. Blood oranges are coloured by the presence of anthocyanins in the juice vesicles. One medium orange (160 g) is a rich source of vitamin C; a good source of folate; a source of vitamins A (as carotene) and B₁; contains 3.2 g of dietary fibre; supplies 60 kcal (250 kJ).

Contrary to what most of us think, this fruit was not named for its color. Instead, the word orange comes from a transliteration of the sanskrit naranga . . . Which comes from the Tamil naru . . . Which means "fragrant." It's thought that the reason oranges have long been associated with fertility (and therefore, weddings) is because this lush evergreen tree can simultaneously produce flowers, fruit and foliage. Though oranges originated in Southeast Asia, they now also thrive around the world in warm-climate areas including Portugal, Spain, North Africa and, in the United States (the world's largest producer), Arizona, California, Florida and Texas. There are three basic types of orange-sweet, loose-skinned and bitter. Sweet oranges are prized both for eating and for their juice. They're generally large and have skins that are more difficult to remove than their loose-skinned relatives. They may have seeds or be seedless. Among the more popular sweet oranges are the seedless navel, the juicy, coarse-grained valencia and the thin-skinned, red-fleshed blood orange. Sweet oranges are better eaten fresh than cooked. Loose-skinned oranges are so named because their skins easily slip off the fruit. Their segments are also loose and divide with ease. Members of the mandarin orange family are all loose skinned; they vary in flavor from sweet to tart-sweet. Bitter oranges, the most well-known of which are the seville and the bergamot, are-as their name implies-too sour and astringent to eat raw. Instead, they're cooked in preparations such as marmalade and bigarade sauce. Bitter oranges are also greatly valued for their peel, which is candied, and their essential oils, which are used to flavor foods as well as some liqueurs, such as curaçao. Most of the bitter orange supply comes from Spain. USDA grading of oranges is voluntary and not considered necessary by most growers. The two grades used are U.S. Fancy (best) and U.S. No. 1. Fresh oranges are available year-round at different times, depending on the variety. Choose fruit that is firm and heavy for its size, with no mold or spongy spots. Unfortunately, because oranges are sometimes dyed with food coloring, a bright color isn't necessarily an indicator of quality. Regreening sometimes occurs in fully ripe oranges, particularly with Valencias. A rough, brownish area (russeting) on the skin doesn't affect flavor or quality either. Oranges can be stored at cool room temperature for a day or so, but should then be refrigerated and can be kept there for up to 2 weeks. Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C and contain some vitamin A. Once cut or squeezed, however, the vitamin C quickly begins to dissipate. After only 8 hours at room temperature or 24 hours in the refrigerator, there's a 20 percent vitamin C loss. Canned, bottled and frozen-concentrate orange juices have a greatly decreased vitamin C content. See also king orange; temple orange.

The rind of the orange has a tangy fragrance, which is made into a refreshing and mildly relaxing oil. It is used in the treatment of colds, constipation, dull skin, flatulence, flu, gum disease, mouth sores, slow digestion, and stress.

Safety Precautions: There have been reports of having experienced dermatitis from the limonene content.

The orange is a symbol of physical health and spiritual vitality, evoking comparison with the fruit of knowledge and the luscious indulgences of the body.

This page appears to be a dictionary definition. Unless it can be turned into a full encyclopedia article in the near future, please take the following steps: Wiktionary Assessment Steps: Check that this article meets Wiktionary's criteria for inclusion. Check that Wiktionary does not have an article on this word or phrase, as verified using the search page. If Wiktionary has a definition already: Change this flag to {{TWCleanup2}} or else consider a soft direct to Wiktionary by changing the text on this page to {{Wi}}. If Wiktionary doesn't have the definition yet: consider moving the whole article to Wiktionary by replacing this flag with the template {{Copy to Wiktionary}}. This template will no longer automatically categorize articles as candidates to move to Wiktionary

Look up orange in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Orange is both a noun and an adjective in the English language. In both cases, it refers primarily to the orange fruit and the colour orange, but has many other derivative meanings.

Before the English-speaking world was exposed to the fruit, the colour was referred to as geoluhread in Old English, which translates roughly into Modern English as yellow-red.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Rhyme 3 References 4 See also

Etymology

Orange derives from a Dravidian language - possibly Telugu naarinja or Malayalam naaranga or Tamil nāram - via Sanskrit nāraṅgaḥ "orange tree", with borrowings through Persian nārang, Arabic nāranj, and Old French and Anglo-Norman orenge, in chronological order. (Compare Italian regional arancia, arancio narancia, naranz etc; Spanish naranja, Portuguese laranja and Medieval Greek νεράντζιον.) The first appearance in English dates from the 13th century. The name of the colour is largely derived from the fruit, first appearing in this sense in the 16th century.^[1]

The Emperor Baber, in his memoirs, mentions the "naranj" as one of the kinds of Citrus he found in India. ... He says little about the Indian oranges, but a good deal about those of Central Asia, and the N.W. frontier of India. He adds that in the latter part it is called narank. The kinds he alludes to are evidently sweet oranges of some sort (vide Baber's memoirs, Appendix No. 1(a))

Risso, in his monograph, gives "narandj" as the Arabic Synonym of the Citrus Bigaradia, the Seville orange, and Alphonse de Candolle credits the Arabs with having transported the bitter orange from Western India to Persia, Arabia, Syria, Northern Africa, and Spain. The Arab physicians are known to have used it in their pharmaceutical preparations. The Arab name naranj may or may not have been derived from nagrung, the supposed Sanskrit name for orange.

—Bonavia, 1888^[2]

There is disagreement as to whether the Old French borrowed the Italian melarancio (with mela "fruit", i.e. melarancio "fruit of the orange tree") as pume orenge (with pume "fruit"),^[3] or whether it borrowed Arabic nāranj, with no intermediate step.^[4] In any case, the initial n was lost before the word entered English.^[5][6]

Rhyme

This section is missing citations or needs footnotes. Please help add inline citations to guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (June 2009)

It is widely accepted that no single English word is a true rhyme for orange, though there are half rhymes such as hinge, lozenge, syringe, flange, Stonehenge, or porridge.^[7] A commonly referred to word on this subject, however controversial, is "door hinge". Although sporange, a variant of sporangium, is an eye rhyme for orange, it is not a true rhyme as its second syllable is pronounced with an unreduced vowel [-ændʒ], and often with stress.

However, there are proper nouns which are almost true rhymes, including Blorenge, a hill in Wales, and Gorringe, a surname. US Naval Commander Henry Honychurch Gorringe, the captain of the USS Gettysburg who discovered Gorringe Ridge in 1875,^[8] led Arthur Guiterman to quip in "Local Note":

In Sparkill buried lies that man of mark

Who brought the Obelisk to Central Park,

Redoubtable Commander H.H. Gorringe,

Whose name supplies the long-sought rhyme for "orange."

Compounds or sequences of words may give true or near rhymes in some accents. Examples include door-hinge, torn hinge, or inch, a wrench. An example of a compound solution is found in the limerick "Orange Rhyme" by Michael Gregorovich:

There once was this girl Angeline

Who knew how all things should have been

When they said "Get the door, Ang",

She said "It is orange

But should have been painted pine green"

Enjambment can also provide for rhymes. One example is Willard Espy's poem, "The Unrhymable Word: Orange":

The four eng-

ineers

Wore orange

brassieres.

Another example by Tom Lehrer relies on the way many Americans pronounce orange as /ɑrəndʒ/, as opposed to /orəndʒ/:

Eating an orange

While making love

Makes for bizarre enj-

oyment thereof.

Composers Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel contrived a rhyme in the song "Oranges Poranges". It was sung by the Witchiepoo character (played by Billie Hayes) on the show H.R. Pufnstuf.^[9]

Oranges poranges, who says,

oranges poranges, who says,

oranges poranges, who says?

there ain't no rhyme for oranges!

Yet another example is a landmass in Wales known as The Blorenge, which is a perfect rhyme.

References

1. ^ orange n.¹ and adj.¹ (March 2009) Oxford English Dictionary draft revision. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2. ^ Bonavia, E. (1888) The Cultivated Oranges and Lemons of India and Ceylon. online
3. ^ deMause, Neil (April 8, 1998). The Mavens' Word of the Day.
4. ^ orange (2000) The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language fourth edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
5. ^ "comprehensive discussion about the etymology of the word "Orange" in various languages". Uni-graz.at. 1999-02-03. http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Citr_sin.html#etym. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
6. ^ "When two masters meet". Serve.com. http://www.serve.com/cmtan/buddhism/Lighter/twomasters.html. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
7. ^ www.askoxford.com. "are there any words that rhyme with orange?". AskOxford. http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutwords/orange?view=uk. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
8. ^ "History of NOAA Ocean Exploration: The Breakthrough Years (1866-1922)". Oceanexplorer.noaa.gov. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/history/timeline/timeline.html#breakthrough. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
9. ^ "The World of Sid & Marty Krofft Fact Sheet". http://dt.prohosting.com/70s/childtv/krofft_facts.txt. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 

See also

• English words with uncommon properties
• orange (fruit)
• orange (color)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - appelsin
adj. - orange

idioms:

• orange blossom    orangeblomst

n. - Orange

Nederlands (Dutch)
sinaasappel, sinaasappelboom, Oranjehuis, oranje

Français (French)
n. - orange (le fruit), boisson à l'orange, orange (la couleur)
adj. - orange

idioms:

• orange blossom    fleur d'oranger

Deutsch (German)
n. - Apfelsine, Orange(nbaum)
adj. - orangefarben, Orangen-

idioms:

• orange blossom    Orangenblüte

n. - Orange

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) πορτοκάλι, πορτοκαλί χρώμα
adj. - πορτοκαλής

idioms:

• orange blossom    άνθος πορτοκαλιάς, (πληθ.) (καθομ.) παντρολογήματα

Italiano (Italian)
arancio, arancia, arancione

idioms:

• orange blossom    fiori d'arancio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - laranja (f)
adj. - alaranjado

idioms:

• orange blossom    flor de laranjeira

Русский (Russian)
апельсиновое дерево, апельсин, апельсиновый, оранжевый

idioms:

• orange blossom    флердоранж

Español (Spanish)
n. - naranjo, naranja
adj. - anaranjado, de color naranja

idioms:

• orange blossom    azahar, flor del naranjo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - apelsin, apelsinträd, orange(färg)
adj. - orange(färgad)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
柑, 橙, 桔, 橘黄色, 橙的, 橙色的, 橘黄色的

idioms:

• orange blossom    白色香橙花

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 柑, 橙, 桔, 橘黃色
adj. - 橙的, 橙色的, 橘黃色的

idioms:

• orange blossom    白色香橙花

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 오렌지, 오렌지색
adj. - 오렌지의, 오렌지색의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - オレンジ, オレンジ色, だいだい色, オレンジ川, オラニエ家, オランジュ, オレンジ党の, オラニエ家の, かんきつ類
adj. - オレンジの, オレンジ色の

idioms:

• orange blossom    オレンジの花

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) البرتقال (صفه) برتقالي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮תפוז‬
adj. - ‮כתום‬
n. - ‮אורנג'‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.