watermelon

See also: water melon

English

Watermelons

Alternative forms

• 🍉 (emoji)

Etymology

From the 1610s, a 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.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈwɔːtəˌmɛlən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈwɔtɚˌmɛlən/, /ˈwɑtɚˌmɛlən/
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈwɒːt̞ɚˌmɛlən/
  • (Dublin) IPA^(key): /ˈwaːhɐˌmɛlən/, /ˈwaːʔɐˌmɛlən/, /ˈwaːʔɚˌmɛlən/
  • (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈwɔːɾɚˌmɛlən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

watermelon (countable and uncountable, plural watermelons)

2. A plant of the species Citrullus lanatus, bearing a melon-like fruit.
4. The fruit of the watermelon plant, having a green rind and watery flesh that is typically bright red when ripe and contains black seeds.
5. (derogatory, slang) An environmentalist with socialist leanings, an ecosocialist.
   • 2010 August 7, Robin McKie, “Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M Conway”, in The Observer‎^[1], →ISSN:

     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.

7. A pinkish-red colour, like that of watermelon flesh (also called watermelon pink).

   watermelon:  

8. A project that is presented as on schedule when it actually has parts that are falling behind.
   • 2011 August 8, Marc Löffler, “Watermelon Reporting”, in DZone‎^[2], AnswerHub:

     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.

   • 2015 September 17, Ken Burrell, “Watch out for watermelons in project reports”, in LinkedIn‎^[3]:

     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.

   • 2021 April 24, Sumir Karayi, “Combatting the Watermelon Effect to Improve Digital Experience”, in CIO‎^[4], IDG Communications, archived from the original on 5 June 2021:

     [see title]

9. (colloquial, slang) A breast, especially that of an adult or adolescent female human.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:breasts

Derived terms

• watermelonade
• watermelon beetle
• watermelon radish
• watermelonrita
• watermelontini
• watermelon tourmaline

Translations

plant

• Afrikaans: waatlemoen (af)
• Albanian: shalqi (sq) m, bostan (sq) m
• Altai:

  Southern Altai: арбуз (arbuz)

• Arabic: بَطِّيخ (baṭṭīḵ) (collective), بَطِّيخَة f (baṭṭīḵa) (singulative), دَلَّاع m (dallāʕ), سندية (ar) (sindiyya)

  Algerian Arabic: دلاع (dillēʕ)

  Chadian Arabic: بطيخ m (bittēḵ) (collective), بطيخاي f (bittēḵāy) (singulative)

  Egyptian Arabic: بطيخ m (baṭṭīḵ) (collective), بطيخة f (baṭṭīḵa) (singulative)

  Gulf Arabic: جحّ m (jiḥḥ), يح, رقي m (raggī)

  Hijazi Arabic: بطيخ m (baṭṭīḵ), حَبحَب m (ḥabḥab)

  Mesopotamian Arabic: رقّي m (raggi, raqqi), شمزي m (šəmzi)

  Moroccan Arabic: دلاح m (dallāḥ) (collective), دلاحة m (dallāḥa) (singulative)

  North Levantine Arabic: بطيخ m (baṭṭīḵ)

  South Levantine Arabic: بطيخ m (baṭṭīḵ)

  Tunisian Arabic: دلاع m (dillēʕ)

• Aramaic:

  Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܫܸܦܬܝܼܵܐ m (šiptiya), ܦܲܛܝܼܚܵܐ m (pāṭṭīḳa)

  Classical Syriac: ܦܲܛܝܼܚܵܐ (paṭṭīḥā)

• Armenian: ձմերուկ (hy) (jmeruk)
• Aromanian: peapine
• Assamese: তৰমুজ গছ (toromuz gos)
• Asturian: sandía (ast) f
• Azerbaijani: qarpız (az)
• Bashkir: ҡарбуз (qarbuz)
• Belarusian: каву́н m (kavún)
• Bhojpuri: तरबूजा (tarᵊbūjā)
• Bikol:

  Central Bikol: pakwan

• Bulgarian: ди́ня (bg) f (dínja)
• Catalan: sindriera f
• Cherokee: ᎬᎩᏍᏗ (gvgisdi)
• Cheyenne: mȧhōō'o
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 西瓜 (yue) (sai¹ gwaa¹)

  Hokkien: 西瓜 (zh-min-nan) (si-koe), 生瓜 (siⁿ-koe)

  Mandarin: 西瓜 (zh) (xīguā)

• Czech: lubenice (cs) f, vodní meloun (cs) m
• Danish: vandmelon (da) c
• Dutch: watermeloen (nl) f
• Esperanto: akvomelono
• Estonian: arbuus (et), vesimelon
• Finnish: vesimeloni (fi)
• French: pastèque (fr) f, melon d'eau (fr) m
• Galician: cidra (gl) f, sandía (gl) f
• Gallurese: síndria
• Georgian: საზამთრო (ka) (sazamtro)
• German: Wassermelone (de) f
• Greek: καρπουζιά (el) f (karpouziá)
• Gujarati: કલિંગર (kaliṅgar)
• Hebrew: אֲבַטִּיחַ (he) m (avatíakh)
• Hindi: तरबूज़ (hi) m (tarbūz)
• Hungarian: görögdinnye (hu)
• Ido: aquomeloniero
• Indonesian: semangka (id)
• Ingrian: arbuza
• Italian: cocomero (it) m, anguria (it) f
• Japanese: スイカ (ja) (suika) (西瓜 (ja))
• Kalmyk: тарвс (tarvs)
• Kannada: ಕಲ್ಲಂಗಡಿ (kn) (kallaṅgaḍi)
• Kazakh: қарбыз (qarbyz)
• Korean: 수박 (ko) (subak), 서과(西瓜) (seogwa)
• Kumyk: харбуз (xarbuz)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: شووتی (ckb) (şûtî)

  Northern Kurdish: zebeş (ku) m, şûtî (ku) m

• Kyrgyz: дарбыз (ky) (darbız)
• Latvian: arbūzs (lv) m
• Lithuanian: arbūzas (lt) m
• Luxembourgish: Waassermeloun f
• Macedonian: лубеница (mk) f (lubenica), бостан m (bostan)
• Malay: tembikai (ms), menikai, mendelikai, timun cina, sikoi (ms)(Brunei), betika, semangka (ms) (Johore, Singapore and Riau), mendikai (ms)
• Malayalam: തണ്ണിമത്തൻ (ml) (taṇṇimattaṉ)
• Māori: merengi
• Marathi: कलिंगड (kaliṅgaḍ)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: тарвас (mn) (tarvas), шийгуа (mn) (šiigua)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vannmelon (no) m, vassmelon (no) m

  Nynorsk: vassmelon m

• Pannonian Rusyn: ґереґа f (gerega)
• Persian: هندوانه (fa) (hendevâne)
• Polish: arbuz (pl) m
• Portuguese: melancia (pt) f, melancieira f
• Romanian: pepene verde m, lubeniță (ro) f (regional), pepene (ro) m
• Russian: арбу́з (ru) m (arbúz)
• Sanskrit: तरम्बुज (sa) m (tarambuja)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: síndria

• Sassarese: síndria
• Senni:

  Koyraboro Senni: kankani

• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: лубѐница f, бо̀стан m

  Latin: lubènica (sh) f, bòstan (sh) m

• Sindhi: छांहीं (chā̃hī̃), हिंदाणो (hindāṇo)
• Slovak: vodný melón m
• Slovene: lubenica (sl) f
• Somali: xabxab
• Sotho: lehapu
• Spanish: sandía (es) f, melón de agua m (Southeastern Spain, specifically Murcia, Puerto Rico), patilla (es) f (Colombian Caribbean Coast, Venezuela), melón (es) m (Cuba)
• Sranan Tongo: watramun
• Swahili: mtikiti
• Swedish: vattenmelon (sv) c
• Tajik: тарбуз (tg) (tarbuz)
• Tamil: தர்பூசணி (ta) (tarpūcaṇi)
• Tatar: карбыз (tt) (qarbız)
• Thai: แตงโม (th) (dtɛɛng-moo)
• Tonkawa: yatmaxan
• Turkish: karpuz (tr), alkavun, alakavun

  Ottoman Turkish: قارپوز (karpuz)

• Turkmen: garpyz
• Ukrainian: каву́н (uk) m (kavún)
• Urdu: تربوز (tarbūz)
• Uyghur: تاۋۇز (tawuz)
• Uzbek: tarvuz (uz)
• Vietnamese: dưa hấu (vi)
• Volga German: Erbus
• Yiddish: קאַווענע f (kavene), אַרבוז m (arbuz)
• Zazaki: debes f
• Zulu: ukhabe class 11

fruit

• Afrikaans: waterlemoen (af), waatlemoen (af), wartlemoen (af)
• Albanian: shalqi (sq), bostan (sq) m
• Altai:

  Southern Altai: арбуз (arbuz)

• Arabic: بَطِّيخ (baṭṭīḵ) (collective), بَطِّيخَة f (baṭṭīḵa) (singulative)

  Algerian Arabic: دلاع

  Egyptian Arabic: بطيخ m (baṭṭīḵ) (collective), بطيخة f (baṭṭīḵa) (singulative)

  Gulf Arabic: جحّ m (jiḥḥ), يح, رقي m (raggī)

  Hijazi Arabic: بطيخ m (baṭṭīḵ), حَبحَب m (ḥabḥab)

  Mesopotamian Arabic: رقّي m (raggi, raqqi), شمزي m (šəmzi)

  Moroccan Arabic: دلاح m (dallāḥ) (collective), دلاحة m (dallāḥa) (singulative)

  North Levantine Arabic: بطيخ m (baṭṭīḵ)

  South Levantine Arabic: بطيخ m (baṭṭīḵ)

  Tunisian Arabic: دلاع m (dillēʕ)

• Aramaic:

  Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܫܸܦܬܝܼܵܐ (šiptiya)

  Classical Syriac: ܦܲܛܝܼܚܵܐ (paṭṭīḥā)

• Armenian: ձմերուկ (hy) (jmeruk)
• Assamese: তৰমুজ (tormuz)
• Asturian: sandía (ast) f
• Azerbaijani: qarpız (az)
• Bashkir: ҡарбуз (qarbuz)
• Basque: angurri
• Belarusian: каву́н m (kavún)
• Bengali: তরমুজ (bn) (toromuj)
• Bikol:

  Central Bikol: pakwan

• Bulgarian: ди́ня (bg) f (dínja)
• Burmese: ဖရဲ (my) (hpa.rai:)
• Cahuilla: 'estu'ish
• Catalan: síndria (ca) f, meló d'Alger (ca) m, meló d'aigua (ca) m
• Cebuano: pakwan
• Chavacano: pakwan
• Chickasaw: istokchank
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 西瓜 (yue) (sai¹ gwaa¹)

  Hokkien: 西瓜 (zh-min-nan) (si-koe / se-koe / si-koa), 生瓜 (siⁿ-koe)

  Mandarin: 西瓜 (zh) (xīguā)

• Circassian:

  East Circassian: хъарбыз (kbd) (ꭓarbəz)

  West Circassian: хъырбыдз (ꭓərbədz)

• Czech: vodní meloun (cs) m
• Danish: vandmelon (da) c
• Dusun:

  Central Dusun: sadur

• Dutch: watermeloen (nl) f
• Egyptian: (bddw-kꜣ)
• Esperanto: akvomelono
• Estonian: arbuus (et), vesimelon
• Faroese: vatnmelón
• Finnish: vesimeloni (fi), arbuusi (fi)
• French: pastèque (fr) f, melon d'eau (fr) m
• Friulian: angurie f
• Galician: cidra (gl) f, pepón m, guineo m, sandía (gl) f
• Gallurese: síndria, patéca
• Georgian: საზამთრო (ka) (sazamtro)
• German: Wassermelone (de) f
• Greek: καρπούζι (el) n (karpoúzi), υδροπέπων (el) m (ydropépon)
• Guarani:

  Mbya Guarani: xãjáu

• Gujarati: તરબૂચ (tarbūc)
• Hawaiian: ipu haole
• Hebrew: אֲבַטִּיחַ (he) m (avatíakh)
• Hindi: तरबूज़ (hi) m (tarbūz)
• Hmong:

  White Hmong: dib liab

• Hungarian: görögdinnye (hu)
• Icelandic: vatnsmelóna (is) f
• Ido: aquomelono (io)
• Ilocano: sandia
• Indonesian: semangka (id)
• Irish: mealbhacán uisce
• Italian: cocomero (it) m, anguria (it) f
• Japanese: スイカ (ja) (suika) (西瓜 (ja) (すいか, suika))
• Javanese: semangka (jv)
• Kalmyk: тарвс (tarvs)
• Kannada: ಕಲ್ಲಂಗಡಿ (kn) (kallaṅgaḍi)
• Kapampangan: pakuan
• Karelian: arpuusi
• Kazakh: қарбыз (qarbyz)
• Khmer: ឪឡឹក (km) (ʼəwlək)
• Korean: 수박 (ko) (subak), 서과(西瓜) (seogwa)
• Kumyk: харбуз (xarbuz)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: شووتی (ckb) (şûtî)

  Northern Kurdish: zebeş (ku) m, şûtî (ku) m

• Kyrgyz: дарбыз (ky) (darbız)
• Ladino: קארפוּס m (karpus)
• Lao: ໝາກໂມ (lo) (māk mō)
• Latin: citrullus m
• Latvian: arbūzs (lv) m
• Lezgi: къарпуз (q̄arpuz)
• Lithuanian: arbūzas (lt) m
• Low German:

  East Frisian Low German: wóótermelôon f

• Lü: please add this translation if you can
• Luxembourgish: Waassermeloun f
• Macedonian: лубеница (mk) f (lubenica), бостан m (bostan)
• Malay: tembikai (ms), semangka (ms) (Johore, Singapore, Riau), mendikai (ms)

  Brunei Malay: sikoi

• Malayalam: തണ്ണിമത്തൻ (ml) (taṇṇimattaṉ)
• Maltese: dulliegħ m
• Manchu: ᡩᡠᠩᡤᠠ (dungga)
• Māori: merengi
• Marathi: कलिंगड (kaliṅgaḍ)
• Marwari: मतीरौ m (matīrau)
• Miwok:

  Central Sierra Miwok: santija-

• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: шийгуа (mn) (šiigua), тарвас (mn) (tarvas)

• Navajo: chʼééhjiyáán
• Neapolitan: mellóne d'àcqua
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vannmelon (no) m, vassmelon (no) m

  Nynorsk: vassmelon m

• Occitan: pastèca (oc) f
• Odia: ତରଭୁଜ (or) (tarabhuja)
• Okinawan: 広東瓜 (くゎんとぅうい, kwantuui)
• Osage: sáhku
• Pacoh: akeal pacai
• Pannonian Rusyn: ґереґа f (gerega)
• Pashto: هندواڼه
• Persian: هندوانه (fa) (hendevâne), تربز (tarboz), خربز (xarboz), خربزه (fa) (xarboze)
• Plautdietsch: Rebus f
• Polish: arbuz (pl) m
• Portuguese: melancia (pt) f
• Punjabi: ਹਦਵਾਣਾ (pa) (hadvāṇā), ਤਰਬੂਜ (pa) (tarbūj), ਮਤੀਰਾ (pa) (matīrā)

  Western Punjabi: ہدواݨا (hdoāṇā)

• Quechua: santiya
• Romanian: pepene verde m, lubeniță (ro) f (regional), harbuz (ro) m (regional)
• Russian: арбу́з (ru) m (arbúz)
• Sanskrit: कालिन्द (sa) (kālinda), तरम्बुज (sa) m (tarambuja)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: síndria

  Limba Sarda Comuna: sìndria

  Logudorese: síndria

• Sassarese: síndria
• Scots: wattermelon
• Scottish Gaelic: meal-bhuc uisge f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: лубѐница f, бо̀стан m

  Latin: lubènica (sh) f, bòstan (sh) m

• Shan: တႅင်ၸမ်ႈပူႇ (těng tsām pùu), တႅင်ၸမ်ႇပူႇ (shn) (těng tsàm pùu)
• Sinhalese: දිය කොමඩු (diya komaḍu)
• Slovak: vodný melón m
• Slovene: lubenica (sl) f
• Sotho: lehapu
• Spanish: sandía (es) f, melón de agua m (Southeastern Spain, specifically Murcia, Puerto Rico), patilla (es) f (Colombian Caribbean Coast, Venezuela), melón (es) m (Cuba)
• Swahili: tikiti (sw) class 5/6
• Swedish: vattenmelon (sv) c
• Tabaru: samaka
• Tagalog: pakwan (tl)
• Tajik: тарбуз (tg) (tarbuz)
• Talysh: зымсони (zımsoni)
• Tamil: தர்பூசணி (ta) (tarpūcaṇi)
• Tatar: карбыз (tt) (qarbız)
• Telugu: పుచ్చకాయ (te) (puccakāya)
• Ternate: samaka
• Thai: แตงโม (th) (dtɛɛng-moo)

  Northern Thai: please add this translation if you can

• Tibetan: ཆུ་ཀུབ (chu kub)
• Tigrinya: ብርጭቕ (bərč̣əx̣)
• Tongan: meleni
• Turkish: karpuz (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: قارپوز (karpuz)

• Turkmen: garpyz
• Ukrainian: каву́н (uk) m (kavún)
• Urdu: تربوز m (tarbūz)
• Uyghur: تاۋۇز (tawuz)
• Uzbek: tarvuz (uz)
• Venetan: cocomaro m, cocomero m, anguria (vec) f, inguria f
• Vietnamese: dưa hấu (vi)
• Volga German: Erbus
• Welsh: dyfrfelon (cy) m, melon dŵr (cy) m
• Winnebago: wicąwą sake
• Wolof: xaal (wo)
• Yiddish: קאַווענע f (kavene), אַרבוז m (arbuz)
• Zapotec:

  Isthmus Zapotec: xandié

• Zazaki: debeş f
• Zhuang: gvehoengz, sihgvah
• Zulu: ikhabe (zu) class 5/6

derogatory slang: environmentalist with socialist leanings

• Finnish: vihervassari (fi)

Anagrams

• lemonwater, water lemon, lemon water