# watermelon

Pronunciation: US say "WAW-tur-mel-uhn" /ˈwɔtɚˌmɛlən/; UK say "WAW-tuh-mel-uhn" /ˈwɔːtəˌmɛlən/

## Noun

1. The fruit of the watermelon plant, with a green rind and watery flesh that is bright red when ripe and dotted with black seeds.
   - Simple: A large round fruit with a hard green skin and sweet, juicy red flesh full of black seeds.
   - _She spat the seeds out while eating her watermelon on the porch._
   - _A ripe watermelon should sound hollow when you tap it._
2. A trailing plant of the species Citrullus lanatus, cultivated for its large, melon-like fruit.
   - Simple: A trailing plant grown in warm places for its large, sweet fruit.
   - _Farmers plant watermelon in sandy soil after the last frost._
   - _The watermelon needs plenty of warmth and water to set fruit._
3. A pinkish-red color resembling the flesh of ripe watermelon, also known as watermelon pink.
   - Simple: A pinkish-red color, like the bright flesh of the ripe fruit.
   - _The designer chose watermelon for the collection's main color._
   - _Her lipstick was a vivid watermelon that brightened her whole face._
4. A slang term for a breast, especially that of an adult or adolescent woman. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A slang word for a woman's breast.
   - _He made a crude remark about the new girl's watermelons at the bar._
   - _She crossed her arms to hide her watermelon from the leering crowd._
5. A derogatory term for an environmentalist with socialist leanings; an ecosocialist. *(slang)*
   - Simple: An insulting word for an environmentalist who is really a socialist at heart.
   - _The columnist branded the green party's founder a watermelon hiding red politics._
   - _Talk-show hosts warned that watermelons had taken over the climate movement._
6. A project presented as on schedule even though some of its parts are actually falling behind.
   - Simple: A project that looks on time but is really falling behind in some parts.
   - _By month three the rollout had become a classic watermelon._
   - _Auditors found three watermelons hiding behind cheerful status reports._

## Origin

First recorded in the 1610s as a compound of "water" and "melon". The senses referring to environmentalists and behind-schedule projects come from the idea of appearing green (eco-friendly or on schedule) on the outside while being red (socialist or behind schedule) hidden inside, like the fruit.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/watermelon (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).