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1. A tropical Asian grass (Cymbopogon nardus) that has bluish-green, lemon-scented leaves and yields an essential oil.
2. A pale yellow to brownish aromatic oil obtained from this plant, used chiefly in perfumery and also in some insect repellents and commercial flavorings.
[New Latin, fromFrenchcitronnelle, lemon oil, diminutive ofcitron, citron; see CITRON.]
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.