watermelon
/ˈwɑtəɹˌmɛlən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.35 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The fruit of the watermelon plant, having a green rind and watery flesh that is typically bright red when ripe and contains black seeds.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An environmentalist with socialist leanings, an ecosocialist.
Countable; Derogatory; Slang; Uncountable
noun
A pinkish-red colour, like that of watermelon flesh (also called watermelon pink).
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A project that is presented as on schedule when it actually has parts that are falling behind.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A breast, especially that of an adult or adolescent female human.
Colloquial; Countable; Slang; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "According to this distorted view of life, environmentalists are watermelons – green on the outside, red on the inside – who want to impose regulation, “the slippery slope to socialism”, on the use of tobacco, ozone-destroying chemicals and greenhouse gases."
- "The nuts and bolts of any project are transparency. If the project status is transparent, the watermelons can’t arise. If anybody is able to get the information, it will be difficult to hide something."
- "As a PMO [project management officer], wherever I see watermelon reporting, I encourage the PM [project manager] to be brave and honest enough to ask for help."
- "[see title]"
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Germanic *watōr Proto-West Germanic *watar Old English wæter Middle English water English water English melon English watermelon Endocentric compound of water + melon. Compare French melon d'eau, German Wassermelone, and Spanish melón de agua. The meanings referring to environmentalists and behind-schedule projects derive from the idea of having a green (eco-friendly, on-schedule) outward appearance while being red (socialist, behind schedule) in a hidden way comparable to that of the fruit.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈwɑtəɹˌmɛlən/
- British English: /ˈwɔːtəˌmɛlən/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
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