Lemon v. Lime

In Spanish, the word for lemon is the same as the word for lime: “limón.” One way to distinguish between the two citrus fruits would be to call limes “limones verdes” and lemons “limones amarillos.” However this can cause a very coincidental misunderstanding. You see, the word for green in Spanish, “verde,” has a secondary meaning. In reference to fruits, “verde” typically means unripe or immature*. This can cause confusion where some Spanish speakers could get the impression that limes are just unripe lemons and that the difference in flavor is caused by the level of ripeness. One native Spanish speaker that I know has told me that if you let limes ripen on the tree, they will become lemons. In actuality, limes and lemons are the fruits of different species of trees.** This is evidence that supports the Whorfian hypothesis; an English speaker, with distinct words for lemons and limes, unlikely to conclude that they come from the same plant, but a Spanish speaker is likely to jump to this plausible (but incorrect) conclusion. For more on lemons and limes, read this interesting article.

*On a side note, “inmaduro” means immature as it refers to fruit or people. It can mean unripe and green or juvenile and lacking maturity. This creates a coherent metaphor in Spanish where the color green, youth and childhood, and unripe fruit are all associated with each other.

**Lemons are the species Citrus limon, but many plant species are called “lime” including Citrus aurantifolia, Citrus hystrix, Citrus australis, Citrus australasica, and others. This is unlike red, orange, yellow, and green bell peppers, which are all classified as the same species.