tangerine
noun
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When tangerine was first used in the mid-19th century it was an adjective we'd borrowed from French to describe people or things from or relating to the Moroccan city of Tangier. (The French name for "Tangier" is Tanger.) Within about a hundred years the noun tangerine was being used to refer to the fruit we now know by that name. Although tangerines were at one time thought to be native to Morocco, they are now thought to be indigenous to southeast Asia. As our definition explains, tangerines are technically a kind of mandarin orange-and mandarin is another word we got from the French. The French mandarine is most likely originally from the Portuguese word mandarim, which etymologists believe is probably from the color of a Chinese mandarin's robes.
Examples of tangerine in a Sentence
Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 13 Feb. 2025
Dried tangerine peels, also known as chenpi, have been treasured for their medicinal benefits for centuries, but some can be worth enormous amounts of money.
—Daniel Wine, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025
The Starbucks Single-Origin Ethiopia is a blonde roast coffee featuring ginger blossom aromas and notes of tangerine, lemon balm, and sweet dates.
—Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Jan. 2025
Viognier aromas include a brilliantly diverse range of floral and tropical fruits, and flavors can include those of white pear, tangerine and melon.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tangerine 
Dictionary Entries Near tangerine
Cite this Entry
“Tangerine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tangerine. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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tangerine
noun
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