Seville orange

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A bitter citrus fruit with a thick, rough skin, used mainly for making marmalade and sauces.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say a Seville orange, two Seville oranges, or Seville oranges in general.

   Patterns

   • a Seville orange
   • Seville oranges
   • make something from Seville oranges

   She bought a bag of Seville oranges to make marmalade.

   The recipe calls for the juice of two Seville oranges.

   Seville oranges are too sour to eat raw, so people usually cook with them.

2. 2nouncountable

   The tree that produces this bitter fruit, often grown in warm regions.

   Grammar: Countable when referring to the tree itself: a Seville orange in the garden.

   Patterns

   • plant a Seville orange
   • a Seville orange tree

   They planted a Seville orange in the backyard.

   The Seville orange grows well in Mediterranean climates.

Word forms

Common combinations

Seville orange marmalade

This Seville orange marmalade has a lovely bitter taste.

Seville orange juice

Add a splash of Seville orange juice to the dressing.

bitter Seville orange

The bitter Seville orange is not good for snacking.

Seville orange tree

A Seville orange tree can reach about five meters tall.

Synonyms and how they differ

bitter orange

A more general term for the same fruit; Seville orange is the usual name when talking about the Spanish variety used in marmalade.

sour orange

Another name for the same fruit, often used in American English; it emphasizes the sharp taste.

Word family

orange noun

The sweet citrus fruit that is commonly eaten fresh.

Commonly confused: Seville orange or sweet orange?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “Seville orange”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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