melon
n. C / Un. a large, round fruit with a hard skin and sweet, juicy flesh inside. You usually eat it raw and it contains many seeds.
n. the large, fleshy fruit of various plants in the Cucurbitaceae family, typically characterized by a sweet pulp and high water content.
We ate slices of cold melon on a hot summer day.
The chef prepared a refreshing starter of sweet cantaloupe melon wrapped in thin slices of salty ham.
Agricultural yields for this specific variety of melon have increased significantly due to improved irrigation techniques and the introduction of more resilient hybrid seeds.
From Middle English meloun, melon, from Old French melon, from Late Latin melonem, from Latin melopeponem, from Ancient Greek μηλοπέπων (mēlopépōn), from μῆλον (mêlon, “apple”) + πέπων (pépōn, “ripe”).
Uncountable when referring to the food substance; countable when referring to the individual whole fruit.