marmalade

noun

mar·​ma·​lade ˈmär-mə-ˌlād 

: a clear sweetened jelly in which pieces of fruit and fruit rind are suspended

Examples of marmalade in a Sentence

a jar of orange marmalade

Recent Examples on the Web

What’s on the menu: Dishes include Lynch’s lamb burger with red onion marmalade, gorgonzola fondue, arugula and secret sauce. —Jonathan Shikes, The Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2024

The set includes nine 1-ounce Bonne Maman fruit spreads in apricot, fig, orange marmalade, grape, cherry, wild blueberry, strawberry (two), and raspberry flavors. —Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2024

Other sides include a sweet cranberry, orange marmalade, mole, and grilled mexican spoonbread. —Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

Here's a brief outline of the recipe; the full thing is further below: Make the salad dressing: Whisk together the vinegar, marmalade, mustard, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. —Julia Levy, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English marmelat quince conserve, Portuguese marmelada, from marmelo quince, from Latin melimelum, a sweet apple, from Greek melimēlon, from meli honey + mēlon apple — more at mellifluous

First Known Use

circa 1676, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

marmalade

noun

mar·​ma·​lade ˈmär-mə-ˌlād 

: a clear jelly containing pieces of fruit and fruit rind

orange marmalade

Etymology

from Portuguese marmelada "jelly made from quince," from marmelo "quince," from Latin melimelum "sweet apple," from Greek melimēlon (same meaning), from meli "honey" and mēlon "apple"

Word Origin

Many of us have eaten orange marmalade, but marmalade can be made from any of several fruits. The Portuguese made such a jelly from the quince, a fruit that looks a bit like a yellow apple. The Portuguese word for the quince is marmelo, which is based on the Latin word melimelum, meaning "a sweet apple." The Portuguese called the jelly they made from the quince marmelada. English borrowed this word as marmalade.