释义 |
mel·on I. \ˈmelən, dial ˈmilyən\ noun (-s) Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English meloun, from Middle French melon, from Late Latin melon-, melo, short for Latin melopepon-, melopepo, from Greek mēlopepōn, from mēlon apple + pepōn, a kind of edible gourd — more at pumpkin 1. a. : either of two soft-fleshed sweet-flavored pepos that are usually eaten raw as a fruit: (1) : muskmelon (2) : watermelon b. or melon vine : a plant that bears melons 2. : something suggesting a musk-melon or watermelon especially in roundness < graceful melon sleeves > as a. archaic : staphyloma b. : a rounded mass of blubber found between the blowhole and the end of the nose in the grampus and several other cetaceans c. slang : an abdomen that protrudes (as from fat or pregnancy) 3. : a strong yellowish pink that is redder and less strong than salmon pink, yellower and paler than peach red or madder scarlet, and redder and paler than average salmon 4. a. : a large surplus of profits available for distribution to stockholders < the shareholders cut a melon of nearly a million dollars > b. : an abundant and usually nonrecurrent or irregular amount (as of profits or spoils) shared or available for sharing among various individuals — compare plum 4 II. \ˈmeˌlän\ variant of mellon III. \ˈmelən\ noun (-s) Etymology: by shortening Australia : pademelon |