Longevity
Longevity's Blog
5 months ago - 03/27/2025
14 9

Language False Friends: the Case of Citron

I recently reviewed Cedro di Diamante, and thought I would share something about the star of this perfume: the citron. You see, this fruit has a confusing name for me as a non-native English speaker.

Citrons

The word ‘citron’ in English comes from the Latin ‘Citrus’, which is likely derived from the Greek 'kédros', meaning cedar (the tree). In Italian, citron is called cedro’ – but here’s the twist: ‘cedro’ refers to both the citrus fruit and the cedar tree. So, in Italian, it depends on the context whether you’re referring to the citrus or the tree.

'Cedro' - cedar or citron?

Where things start to sound like a joke is that in French, citron’ means lemon. In French, citron is 'cédrat' (as in Cedrat Boise). 'drat' probably gave the English 'cedrate' – a rarely used name for citron.

Citrons (left) next to lemons (right)

I’d be curious to know if the same applies to other languages or other raw materials/notes!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I’ll be angrily throwing citrons at my dictionaries. Thank you for reading!

The text was written by me; images were AI-generated using Dall-E

14 Comments
LouBeLouBe 5 months ago
1
Thanks for the explanation !
I think there is at least a (otherwise nice)reviewer that thought that "Cédrat boisé " will be a woody cedar-base fragrance !
I didn't know that "citron" in English was "cédrat"...
LongevityLongevity 5 months ago
Hey, thanks for reading! Was it on YouTube? I think I stumbled upon it too hehe!!
GourmandgrlGourmandgrl 5 months ago
1
This is a fun topic, I'm glad you brought it up and it was fun to learn more!
You mentioned wondering whether this applies to other languages, and yes - "limón" can translate to lemon, but also lime, in Spanish!
So the duality continues @Longevity haha 🍋😅
LongevityLongevity 5 months ago
1
Hey, thanks a lot for stopping by!!
I find it hilarious, it seems these names are confusing in a lot of languages 😂
How do you differentiate between the two? Do you say “we need to buy ‘limón verde’ for lime?
SmirkySmirky 5 months ago
1
For additional confusion, see:
List of citrus fruits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_citrus_fruits
Citron varieties: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_citrus_fruits#Citron
LongevityLongevity 5 months ago
1
Thanks, I hate it lol 😂 this wiki illustrates a good point: there are so many hybrids. Apparently, all citruses today descend from only three cultivars, namely mandarin orange, citron, and pomelo.
Raluko111Raluko111 5 months ago
1
I love a reviewer with a sense of humor. I speak a couple of languages and I am always tripping on these faux amis. A recent citrus related experience: while traveling in Thailand, I realized that there the word "lemon" covers both lemons and limes.
LongevityLongevity 5 months ago
@Raluko111 thanks a lot for reading and for your input! From the comments, it seems it’s not an isolated case to have only one term for lemon and lime – and that’s across language families too. I’m fascinated!
TzapanTzapan 5 months ago
1
Cassis ,sorry. Cassia is Chinese bark used as cinammon
TzapanTzapan 5 months ago
1
Great article! So nice to know this vocabulary in three or four European languages! Cedar is two types. American cedar. (Atlas, Virginia) and in Europe is juniper, which is a wild cypress. There is no cedar in Europe. But juniper tree which grows in the wild is the Mediterranean cedar. Also I have a clarification of a note to make. It is common mistake black currant at the top notes usually is not the black raisin, but that small berry blue black called black currant also. To be precise it is the seeds of the berry black currant they use. The leaves are too acidic and called cassia I believe.
LongevityLongevity 5 months ago
Hey, thanks a lot for reading and for the amazing facts, which I did not know!! So the Prickly Cedar found in Europe is not a cedar but actually a juniper, this never stops to be confusing!!
And great addition about blackcurrant, something else to watch out for!
CeesieCeesie 5 months ago
1
Thanks for clearing that up a bit! In dutch the lemons are called “citroen” and lime is called “limoen”. What those citrons are called I’m not really sure…
LouBeLouBe 5 months ago
Hi guys, apparently it's "cederappel" ! From of course the... "sukadeboom" ("tree from which you can make "sukade" or in French "cédrat confit")
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukadeboom
LongevityLongevity 5 months ago
A 3rd citrus just to make things more confusing xD amazing!
I can’t seem to find a Dutch translation for citron, how weird!
Thanks for stopping by :))