trifoliate orange

noun

: a thorny Chinese tree (Poncirus trifoliata) of the rue family related to the citruses that has trifoliolate leaves and a sour yellow fruit resembling a small orange and that is grown for ornament or hedges or used as a rootstock for citrus fruits

Examples of trifoliate orange in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web It may have been grafted onto a trifoliate orange rootstock. Neil Sperry, San Antonio Express-News, 25 June 2021 An extremely easy-to-grow citrus is the trifoliate orange. Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 5 May 2020

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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trifoliate orange was circa 1900

Dictionary Entries Near trifoliate orange

Cite this Entry

“Trifoliate orange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trifoliate%20orange. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!