melon

noun

mel·​on ˈme-lən How to pronounce melon (audio)
plural melons
often attributive
1
: any of various typically sweet gourds (such as a muskmelon or watermelon) usually eaten raw as fruits
2
: something rounded like a melon: such as
a
: a rounded organ in the front of the head of some cetaceans and all toothed whales that is composed of lipids and waxy material and is thought to be utilized in echolocation
b
: a person's head
A great afternoon at the park usually meant coming home with blisters on our hands, a bump or two on the melon and the obligatory skinned knee.Robb Moretti
3
a
: a surplus of profits available for distribution to stockholders
b
: a financial windfall

Examples of melon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Inspectors also saw a cut melon on a push cart near a prep sink, and asked employees to discard the fruit. Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024 For the past six years, the three women have lived in a home tucked away among fields of yellow melons about 40 miles southeast of Seoul. Michelle Lee, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024 For garnish Watermelon ball Sichuan pepper flowers Table sugar Combine the 3 melon balls, gin, Cocchi Rosa, absinthe, lime juice and Sichuan-vanilla syrup in a cocktail shaker over ice. Judy Revenaugh, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024 The flurry of warnings has prompted major grocery sellers such as Kroger, Trader Joe's and Walmart to continue removing products containing the melon from store shelves. Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2023 Maran grew up eating tangerines, the muse behind Topless Tangerine, an invigorating bright and juicy potion featuring top notes of yuzu, pixie tangerine and pink grapefruit, a heart of black currant, pineapple and melon, and a brown sugar base. Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Certain foods, including soft cheeses, deli meats, melons, and raw milk products, carry a higher risk of being contaminated with Listeria. Brian Mastroianni, Health, 29 Feb. 2024 As a bonus for those who aren’t into the mint flavor found in most whitening products, Opalescence offers both mint and melon flavors. Macaela MacKenzie, Glamour, 29 Feb. 2024 The crew headed into the melon fields at 2:30 a.m., the report said. Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 27 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'melon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin melon-, melo, short for Latin melopepon-, melopepo, from Greek mēlopepōn, from mēlon apple + pepōn, an edible gourd — more at pumpkin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of melon was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near melon

Cite this Entry

“Melon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melon. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

melon

noun
mel·​on ˈmel-ən How to pronounce melon (audio)
: any of various fruits (as a cantaloupe, honeydew melon, or watermelon) of the gourd family that have juicy and usually sweet flesh eaten raw and a firm rind

More from Merriam-Webster on melon

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