tangerine
noun
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When tangerine was first used in the mid-19th century it was an adjective we'd borrowed from French to describe people or things from or relating to the Moroccan city of Tangier. (The French name for "Tangier" is Tanger.) Within about a hundred years the noun tangerine was being used to refer to the fruit we now know by that name. Although tangerines were at one time thought to be native to Morocco, they are now thought to be indigenous to southeast Asia. As our definition explains, tangerines are technically a kind of mandarin orange-and mandarin is another word we got from the French. The French mandarine is most likely originally from the Portuguese word mandarim, which etymologists believe is probably from the color of a Chinese mandarin's robes.
Examples of tangerine in a Sentence
Remy Tumin, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
It is barrel-fermented with just a touch of new French oak and has lovely aromas of honeycomb, Fuji apple, and violet, with a bright acidity and flavors of lime, pear, and tangerine.
—Jeanette Hurt, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Citrus Fruits Citrus fruits like grapefruits, oranges, tangerines, lemons, and limes are high in vitamin C, which helps boost white blood cells that fight infections.
—Cathy Nelson, Verywell Health, 18 Dec. 2024
Each order comes with six scents: grapefruit, watermelon, tangerine, eucalyptus, lavender, and mind.
—Rebecca Martinson, Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tangerine 
Dictionary Entries Near tangerine
Cite this Entry
“Tangerine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tangerine. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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tangerine
noun
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