Lime , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Limed (līmd); p. pr. & vb. n. Liming.]
[Cf. AS. gelīman to glue or join together. See Lime a viscous substance.] 1. To smear with
a viscous substance, as birdlime.
These twigs, in time, will come to be
limed.
L'Estrange. 2. To entangle; to insnare.
We had limed
ourselves
With open eyes, and we must take
the chance.
Tennyson. 3. To treat with lime, or oxide or hydrate of calcium; to manure with lime; as, to
lime hides for removing
the hair; to
lime sails in order to whiten them.
Land may be improved by draining, marling, and
liming.
Sir J. Child.
4. To cement. "Who gave his blood to lime the stones together." Shak.
Lime , n. [AS. līm; akin to D. lijm, G. leim, OHG.
līm, Icel. līm, Sw. lim, Dan. liim, L. limus mud, linere to smear, and
E. loam. √126. Cf.
Loam, Liniment.]
1. Birdlime.
Like the lime
That foolish birds are caught with.
Wordsworth. 2. (Chem.) Oxide of calcium; the white or gray, caustic substance, usually called quicklime, obtained by
calcining limestone or
shells, the heat driving off carbon dioxide and leaving lime. It develops great heat when treated with water, forming slacked lime, and is an essential ingredient of cement, plastering, mortar,
etc.
&fist; Lime
is the principal constituent
of limestone, marble, chalk, bones, shells,
etc.
Caustic lime, calcium hydrate or slacked lime; also, in
a less technical sense, calcium oxide or quicklime. -- Lime burner, one who burns limestone, shells, etc., to make lime. -- Lime light. See Calcium light, under Calcium. -- Lime pit, a limestone quarry. --
Lime rod, Lime twig, a twig smeared with birdlime; hence, that which catches; a snare. Chaucer.
Lime , n. [F. lime; of Persian origin. See Lemon.]
(Bot.)
A fruit allied to the
lemon, but much smaller; also, the tree which bears it. There are two
kinds; Citrus Medica, var. acida which is intensely sour, and the sweet
lime (C. Medica, var.
Limetta) which is only slightly sour.
Lime , n. [Formerly line, for earlier lind. See Linden.]
(Bot.) The linden tree. See Linden.
Lime (līm),
n. [See Leam a string.]
A thong by which a dog is led; a leash. Halliwell.
Hear it pronounced