rind

B2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ɹaɪnd/ UK /ɹaɪnd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the tough outer layer of certain fruits, especially citrus fruits

She peeled the orange rind before eating the fruit.
2

noun
the outer skin of cheese, often formed during the aging process

The cheese rind was hard and inedible.
3

noun
the bark of a tree or the outer covering of some plants

The tree's rind was rough and thick.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the tough outer layer of... peel skin shell crust husk

2 noun · the outer skin of cheese,... crust skin casing coat

3 noun · the bark of a tree or the... bark casing coat hide shell

Opposites

core flesh pulp

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

bacon rind
the tough outer skin attached to a piece of bacon

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Rind was already used in Old English for tree bark and the outer covering of fruit. Its sense referring to the outer layer of cheese developed in the late 16th century.

Etymology

rind (Modern English, 'outer layer, especially of fruit or cheese'); from Proto-Germanic _hrinda-_ ('bark, crust') via Old English _rind_ ('bark, crust'), unchanged in sense through Middle English.

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# rind

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɹaɪnd/
**IPA (UK):** /ɹaɪnd/

## Meanings
1. the tough outer layer of certain fruits, especially citrus fruits
2. the outer skin of cheese, often formed during the aging process
3. the bark of a tree or the outer covering of some plants

## Examples
- She peeled the orange rind before eating the fruit.
- The cheese rind was hard and inedible.
- The tree's rind was rough and thick.

## Synonyms
- peel
- skin
- shell
- crust
- husk
- casing
- coat
- hide
- bark

## Antonyms
- core
- flesh
- pulp

## Etymology
rind (Modern English, 'outer layer, especially of fruit or cheese'); from Proto-Germanic _hrinda-_ ('bark, crust') via Old English _rind_ ('bark, crust'), unchanged in sense through Middle English.

## AI Etymology
Rind is a Modern English word meaning 'outer layer, especially of fruit or cheese', from Proto-Germanic hrinda- ('bark, crust') via Old English rind ('bark, crust'), unchanged in sense through Middle English. In current use it is a noun meaning "the tough outer layer of certain fruits, especially citrus fruits". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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