orange

Pluraloranges

Formsoranges, oranging, oranged

1. 1
   reddish-yellowadjective

   Of a reddish-yellow color, midway between red and yellow, like the ripe fruit the word is named for.

   The autumn maples blazed orange against the gray sky.

   Her bright orange scarf stood out in the crowd.

   UsageCompared either way: oranger or more orange, orangest or most orange.

2. 2
   citrus fruitnouncountable

   A round citrus fruit with a tough reddish-yellow rind and sweet, juicy flesh, eaten fresh or pressed for juice.

   Florida growers cultivate the sweet orange mainly for its juice.

   Most oranges sold in supermarkets are the sweet variety, eaten fresh or juiced.

   UsageStarts with a vowel sound, so an orange (not incorrect: a orange); two oranges.

   Note

   The word can cover any round citrus of this kind, but it points above all to the sweet orange, Citrus sinensis, the kind most people picture. When the distinction matters, as in botany or among growers, sweet orange or the Latin binomial makes it plain, since other round citrus can pass as oranges in looser use. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • Citrus sinensis is a scientific name for the sweet orange. en.wikipedia.org
3. 3
   noununcountable

   The color midway between red and yellow, seen in the ripe fruit of the orange tree.

   The designer chose a warm orange for the gallery walls.

   Shades of orange dominated the painter's later work.

   UsageFor tones, use shades of orange or an adjective: a warm orange, a bright orange.

   Note

   Named for the fruit, the color is fixed by a ripe orange's skin, midway between red and yellow, and it largely replaced the Old English color word geolurēad, 'yellow-red'. Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • The color name comes from the fruit. en.wikipedia.org
   • Orange describes the characteristic color of the ripe fruit, midway between red and yellow. en.wiktionary.org
   • The color term orange largely replaced geolurēad. en.wiktionary.org
   • Old English geolurēad denoted orange and literally meant yellow-red. en.wiktionary.org
4. 4
   glass of juicenouncolloquialcountable or uncountable

   A drink made from or flavored with oranges, such as orange juice, orange soda or orange squash.

   At the bar he ordered a vodka and orange.

   The hotel breakfast came with toast, coffee, and a small glass of freshly squeezed orange.

   UsageOrdered as a vodka and orange or a glass of orange.

   Note

   An everyday shortening, especially in British English, where a glass of orange may be juice or squash.

5. 5
   treenouncountable

   An evergreen tree of the genus Citrus, such as Citrus sinensis, that yields the fruit of the same name.

   The orange by the farmhouse had grown taller than the roof.

   Growers in the valley planted oranges, lemons, and figs on the sunny slopes.

   UsageUsually called an orange tree.

   Note

   The tree carries the word's long journey west. Sanskrit nāraṅga, 'orange tree', probably from a Dravidian source, passed into Persian as nārang and Arabic as nāranj, then into Italian and Old French, and English took orange from Old French orenge. Italian also coined melarancia, pairing mela, 'apple', with the borrowed name. Mela itself goes back to Latin mālum, probably borrowed from Doric Greek mâlon. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 7 facts

   • Sanskrit nāraṅga means 'orange tree' and probably has a Dravidian origin. en.wiktionary.org
   • The Sanskrit word passed into Persian as nārang and then Arabic as nāranj. en.wikipedia.org
   • The word subsequently reached Italian and Old French. en.wikipedia.org
   • English orange derives from Old French orenge. en.wiktionary.org
   • Italian melarancia combines mela, meaning 'apple', with the borrowed orange name. en.wiktionary.org
   • Italian mela descends from Latin mālum. en.wiktionary.org
   • Latin mālum was probably borrowed from Doric Greek mâlon. en.wiktionary.org

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