melon

IPA/ˈmelən/
KK[mˈɛlən]IPA/ˈmelən/

melon — noun

  • melonsingular
  • melonsplural

1. A type of large round fruit whose outer skin ranges from green to yellow and who

1.nounA1
Definition

A type of large round fruit whose outer skin ranges from green to yellow and whose inner flesh is soft, sweet, and juicy, with many seeds inside.

Example

Hamza bought a ripe melon from the market and cut it into slices for breakfast.

We picked a melon that felt heavy for its size, which signals sweetness.

collocation: heavy melon — choosing a good melon

Common collocations
  • ripe melon
  • sweet melon
  • fresh melon
  • slice of melon
  • melon seeds
  • melon ball
  • honeydew melon
  • cantaloupe melon
Synonyms
  • cantaloupe

    A specific common type of melon with orange flesh and a rough netted skin; often treated as a distinct fruit in supermarkets.

  • honeydew

    A type of melon with smooth pale green skin and sweet light-green flesh; less sweet than cantaloupe.

  • watermelon

    A very large type of melon with green-striped rind and red, watery flesh with black seeds; commonly eaten in summer.

Grammar Patterns

a/an + melon

some + melon

Usage Note

Countable when referring to a whole fruit ('a ripe melon'), uncountable when referring to the flesh as food ('a bowl of melon'). Melon names often combine with a variety name: 'honeydew melon', 'cantaloupe melon'.

Common Mistakes

I ate a melon for breakfast.' (when you ate a bowl of melon pieces, not the whole fruit).
I ate some melon for breakfast.
'some melon' refers to pieces of the flesh, while 'a melon' means the whole fruit.
This melon tastes like watermelon.' (treating 'melon' as a specific type).
This melon tastes like a watermelon.' or 'This is a type of melon that tastes like watermelon.
'melon' is a general category that includes several fruit types.

Word family

  • melony
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

In everyday English, 'melon' is the general term for a family of large sweet fruits with thick rinds. 'Cantaloupe' refers specifically to a melon with orange flesh and a rough, netted beige skin — it is the most common melon sold in many supermarkets. 'Honeydew' has smooth pale green skin and sweet light-green flesh; it is slightly less sweet than cantaloupe and has a firmer texture. 'Watermelon' is the largest type of melon, with a thick green-striped rind and watery red or yellow flesh full of black seeds; because it is so different in texture and taste, many speakers treat it as a separate category from 'melon' rather than a subtype. For example: 'I bought a cantaloupe and a honeydew from the fruit stand, but I skipped the watermelon because it was too heavy to carry home.'

cantaloupe ↗honeydew ↗watermelon ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • slice of melon
  • piece of melon
  • bowl of melon
  • melon season

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'melon' entered English through Old French 'melon', from Latin 'melopeponem', which came from Greek 'mēlopepōn' — a combination of 'mēlon' (apple) and 'pepōn' (ripe gourd). The fruit has been cultivated in Europe since ancient times and reached England by the 14th century.