melon

[mel-uh n] /ˈmɛl ən/
noun
1.
the fruit of any of various plants of the gourd family, as the muskmelon or watermelon.
2.
medium crimson or deep pink.
3.
the visible upper portion of the head of a surfacing whale or dolphin, including the beak, eyes, and blowhole.
4.
Informal.
  1. a large extra dividend, often in the form of stock, to be distributed to stockholders:
    Profits zoomed so in the last quarter that the corporation cut a nice melon.
  2. any windfall of money to be divided among specified participants.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Late Latin mēlōn- (stem of mēlō), short for mēlopepō < Greek mēlopépōn apple-shaped melon, equivalent to mêlo(n) apple + pépōn pepo
Examples from the web for melon
  • Also on the ballot were tangerine, green apple and mango melon.
  • Halve apples lengthwise and remove core with a melon-ball cutter or a paring knife.
  • In drums near his melon patch rest gallons of his urine, being converted by bacteria into ammonia fertilizer.
  • The deeper in color, the longer the fully grown melon was on the vine getting sweet.
  • For example, melon contains substances similar to ragweed pollen, and apples have allergens similar to tree pollen.
  • The popular cherry and melon symbols derive from this machine.
  • melon pieces wrapped in prosciutto are a familiar modern antipasto.
British Dictionary definitions for melon

melon

/ˈmɛlən/
noun
1.
any of several varieties of two cucurbitaceous vines, cultivated for their edible fruit See muskmelon, watermelon
2.
the fruit of any of these plants, which has a hard rind and juicy flesh
3.
(US & Canadian, slang) cut a melon, to declare an abnormally high dividend to shareholders
Word Origin
C14: via Old French from Late Latin mēlo, shortened form of mēlopepō, from Greek mēlopepōn, from mēlon apple + pepōn gourd
Word Origin and History for melon
n.

late 14c., from Old French melon (13c.), from Medieval Latin melonem (nominative melo), from Latin melopeponem, a kind of pumpkin, from Greek melopepon "gourd-apple" (name for several kinds of gourds bearing sweet fruit), from melon "apple" (see malic) + pepon, a kind of gourd, probably noun use of pepon "ripe" (see pumpkin).

In Greek, melon was used in a generic way for all foreign fruits (cf. similar use of apple). The Greek plural of "melon" was used from ancient times for "a girl's breasts."

Slang definitions & phrases for melon

melon

noun

The sum of profits, loot, etc, to be divided: The stockholders have a meager melon to share this year (1906+)