Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

limey

/ˈlaɪmi/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.13 in modern English

Syllables: limey
IPA: /ˈlaɪmi/

10

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Resembling limes (the fruit); lime-like.

adj

Of, or pertaining to, limes (the fruit).

noun

An Englishman or other Briton, or a person of British descent; an English or British immigrant.

Australian usage; New Zealand usage; American usage; Slang

noun

An English or British ship.

Dated; Derogatory; Slang

noun

Alternative letter-case form of limey (“an Englishman or other Briton”).

Example Sentences

"This drink is full of limey goodness."
"Ya look like anything ’cept a tourist who’s come to lose his wad and they get a bad case of nose trouble. Take yaself. Anyone can see ya’re a Limey even before ya start talking."

Etymology

In adjectival senses, by surface analysis, lime + -y. In the sense of Englishman, reduced from the 19th century term lime-juicer (“a British ship”), from the lime juice British ships carried to ward off scurvy.

Usage

Inflected Forms

limier (comparative) limiest (superlative) limeys (plural)

Derived Forms

Limeyland

Synonyms

pommy pom john bull

Rhymes With

slimy grimy blimey stymie hymie limy rimy

Questions

How do you pronounce limey?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlaɪmi/.
What does limey mean?: Resembling limes (the fruit); lime-like.
Where does limey come from?: In adjectival senses, by surface analysis, lime + -y. In the sense of Englishman, reduced from the 19th century term lime-juicer (“a British ship”), from the lime juice British ships carried to ward off scurvy.

How to pronounce limey

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “limey”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈlaɪmi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “limey”.
Repeat and practice — Say “limey” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.