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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Lemon - 英语词汇详解 (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：lemon fruit (Lemon)

Lemon 🔊

/ˈlemən/

A yellow, sour fruit often used to add flavor to food and drinks.

lemon fruit 🔊

➕

/ˈlemən/

A bright yellow, oval citrus fruit with a sour taste, commonly used in cooking, drinks, and for its juice or zest.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old French 'limon', via Arabic 'laymūn' and Persian 'limūn', all referring to the citrus fruit.

💡 Mnemonic

Think: a lemon is sour, and a faulty car leaves you with a sour feeling.

📖 Example

My mom loves to add a slice of lemon to her glass of water every morning. 🔊 My mom loves to add a slice of lemon to her glass of water every morning.

🔗 Collocations

lemon juice – the liquid extracted from a lemon

lemon zest – the outer peel of a lemon used for flavor

lemon tree – a tree that produces lemons

🔄 Synonyms

citrus fruit (n.) – a general term for fruits like lemons, oranges, and limes

lime (n.) – a similar green citrus fruit with a more acidic taste

🚫 Antonyms

apple (n.) – a sweet fruit that contrasts with the sour lemon

🌱 Derivatives

lemonade (n.) – a drink made from lemon juice, water, and sugar

lemony (adj.) – tasting or smelling of lemon

📖 Cultural Story

In early 20th-century American slang, 'lemon' came to mean a defective car, possibly from the sour taste of the fruit symbolizing disappointment. The phrase 'a lemon' became standard in consumer complaints.

Meaning 2：lemon (defective product) (Lemon)

Lemon 🔊

/ˈlemən/

A product, especially a car, that has many problems and does not work properly.

lemon (defective product) 🔊

➕

/ˈlemən/

A product, especially a vehicle, that is faulty or has many defects, causing trouble for the owner.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：中级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

I spent all my savings on that used car, but it turned out to be a lemon that broke down every week. 🔊 I spent all my savings on that used car, but it turned out to be a lemon that broke down every week.

🔗 Collocations

lemon law – a law that protects buyers of defective vehicles

turn out to be a lemon – to prove to be faulty or disappointing

buy a lemon – to purchase a defective product

🔄 Synonyms

dud (n.) – something that fails to work or meet expectations

clunker (n.) – an old or unreliable car

🚫 Antonyms

gem (n.) – a valuable or excellent example of its kind

🌱 Derivatives

lemon law (n.) – legislation protecting consumers from defective vehicles