Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “citrus” come from?

Citrus comes from Latin citrus, borrowed from Ancient Greek κέδρος, a tree species whose exact identity remains uncertain.

citrus (English): Any of several shrubs or trees of the genus...

Definitions

  1. Any of several shrubs or trees of the genus...

Ancestry of “citrus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchcitrus—
2GermanZitrus—
3Latincī̆trus—
4Greekκέδροςcedar
5Ancient Greekκέδροςcedar; anything made of cedar-wood; cedar-oil

Words derived from “citrus”

  • citrusy
  • noncitrus
  • citruslike
Every word from Ancient Greek κέδρος →