orange

1. any of several citrus trees, esp Citrus sinensis (sweet orange) and the Seville orange, cultivated in warm regions for their round edible fruit See also tangerine

a. the fruit of any of these trees, having a yellowish-red bitter rind and segmented juicy flesh See also navel orange

b. (as modifier): orange peel

3. the hard wood of any of these trees

4. any of several trees or herbaceous plants that resemble the orange, such as mock orange

5. any of a group of colours, such as that of the skin of an orange, that lie between red and yellow in the visible spectrum in the approximate wavelength range 620--585 nanometres

Orange

1. a princely family of Europe. Its possessions, originally centred in S France, passed in 1544 to the count of Nassau, who became William I of Orange and helped to found the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Since 1815 it has been the name of the reigning house of the Netherlands. It was the ruling house of Great Britain and Ireland under William III and Mary (1689--94) and under William III as sole monarch (1694--1702)

2. of or relating to the Orangemen

3. of or relating to the royal dynasty of Orange

Orange

1. a river in S Africa, rising in NE Lesotho and flowing generally west across the South African plateau to the Atlantic: the longest river in South Africa. Length: 2093 km (1300 miles)

2. a town in SE France: a small principality in the Middle Ages, the descendants of which formed the House of Orange. Pop.: 27 989 (1999)

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

citrus blossoms

Beautifully scented waxy flowers with a citrusy lemon flavor. Don’t eat too many at one time.

What does it mean when you dream about an orange?

The orange is a symbol of physical health and spiritual vitality, evoking comparison with the fruit of knowledge and the luscious indulgences of the body.

orange

[′är·inj]

(botany)

Any of various evergreen trees of the genus Citrus, cultivated for the edible fruit, a berry with an aromatic, leathery rind containing numerous oil glands.

(optics)

The hue evoked in an average observer by monochromatic radiation having a wavelength in the approximate range from 597 to 622 nanometers; however, the same sensation can be produced in a variety of other ways.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Orange

(Citrus sinensis), an evergreen fruit tree of the genus Citrus, family Rutaceae. It is not found wild. On strongly developed rootstocks it reaches a height of 12 m; dwarf trees are 4–6 m. The leaves are leathery and oval-shaped and end in sharp points. The flowers are monoecious, white, fluffy, and single or inflorescent. The fruit is a mul-tilocular berry. Depending on the variety, oranges differ greatly in size, shape, and skin color (from light yellow to reddish orange). The pulp is juicy and sweet or bittersweet. During the vegetative period, depending on climatic conditions, there may be two or three periods of growth, each followed by a period of dormancy. Vegetation begins at a stable temperature of 10°-12°C; at lower temperatures the trees are dormant. When the temperature goes down to -6°C, the leaves die, and at temperatures from -8° to -9.5° C, the entire aboveground part of the plant dies. In favorable conditions, the orange can live and bear fruit for more than 75 years. Grafted plants begin to bear fruit three to four years after planting. Fruit is borne annually. The orange is native to southern China and Indochina. It is cultivated in the tropical and subtropical regions of many countries. In the USSR the orange is raised in a small area along the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. In good years the harvest is 20–25 tons per hectare. The fruits contain up to 12 percent sugars, 0.6–2 percent citric acid, up to 50–65 mg percent ascorbic acid, vitamins B, and P, and salts of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and others. Oranges are eaten fresh and processed (made into jam, candied, and so on). The skin of the fruit contains up to 2 percent essential oil, which is used in the perfume and confectionery industries. The varieties that have been regionalized in the humid subtropical regions of the USSR are Hamlin, Pervenets, Washington, navel, Korolek 100, and smooth-skinned. Plots with the warmest microclimates and well-drained soils are selected for orchards. In industrial cultivation the orange is reproduced by grafting on the trifoliate, and in tub cultivation it is grafted onto sections of the orange itself and the lemon. The wild orange (C. aurantium), sometimes called the sour orange, is related to the orange and is sometimes used as a root stock for the orange.

REFERENCES

Luss, A. I. Tsitrusovye kul’tury v SSSR. Moscow-Leningrad, 1947.
Kaptsinel’, M. A. Apel’sin. Moscow, 1950.
Gutiev, G. T. Subtropicheskie plodovye rasteniia. Moscow, 1958.

A. D. ALEKSANDROV

Orange

a city in the southern USA, in Texas. Port on the Sabine River accessible to oceangoing vessels. Population, 25,000 (1970). Orange is the center of an important rice- and vegetable-growing region. Petroleum, natural gas, and sulfur are extracted. The city has ship-building, petrochemical, canning, woodworking, and paper industries. The city exports petroleum, sulfur, rice, and lumber.

Orange

a river in Southern Africa, flowing through Lesotho, the Republic of South Africa, and Namibia. It is 1,860 km long and drains an area of 1,036,000 sq km. Originating at an elevation of 3,160 m on the slopes of Mont-aux-Sources, the river is known as the Sinqu at its source; it flows westward and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The chief right tributaries are the Caledon and the Vaal.

In crossing the arid region of the highveld, the Orange loses part of its runoff and shrinks in size; in the dry season its channel here almost dries up, but after heavy rains the water level rises sharply. Below its confluence with the Vaal River, the Orange enters the Kaap Plateau, where it flows through a gorge. Near the southern edge of the Kalahari Desert, the river becomes very shallow. Below the mouth of the Hartebees it forms rapids and the cascades of the Aughrabies Falls, where the river plunges 146 m in the course of a few kilometers. Farther on, the Orange flows through a gorge, and for its last 97 km it flows across a plain; at the mouth it forms a sandbar.

The Orange River is fed by rain, and its regime depends on freshets. High water occurs from November to March, with peak levels in February and March; low water is in July and August. The river’s flow rate varies widely from year to year. The mean annual flow rate at Prieska is about 350 cu m per sec. Sediment discharge totals 153 million tons. The Orange is not navigable.

Several irrigation systems have been created in the river’s basin, including the Vaal-Hartz project and the one on the Riet River, a tributary of the Vaal. A 30-year project for developing water and hydroelectric resources in the Orange River system was begun in 1966. Thus far, the Hendrik Verwoerd Dam has been built (1972), and construction is under way (1974) of the P. K. le Roux Dam near Petrusville. An 82-km tunnel intended for water supply and irrigation has been constructed (1975) through a mountain ridge, from the Hendrik Verwoerd Reservoir to the upper Great Fish River. The Orange River Project calls for irrigating 308,000 ha of land and improving the water supply of the cities of Bloemfontein, Kimberley, and Port Elizabeth.

Cities on the Orange include Aliwal North, Prieska, and Upington. The river was named in honor of the Prince of Orange by the Scot R. J. Gordon, a member of a Dutch expedition.

REFERENCES

Dmitrevskii, Iu. D. Vnutrennie vody Afriki i ikh ispol’zovanie. Leningrad, 1967.
Capstickdale, L. “L’Afrique du sud et le problème de 1’eau.” L’Eau, 1969, no. 2.

A. P. MURANOV

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

It had been apparent to both players and spectators for the past two moves, that Gahan was moving straight across the field into the enemy's country to seek personal combat with the Orange Chief--that he was staking all upon his belief in the superiority of his own swordsmanship, since if the two Chiefs engage, the outcome decides the game.

But now the duel between Gahan and the Orange Panthan was on and the decision of the next move was no longer in other hands than theirs.

Short and to the point was the duel that decided possession of the Orange Chief's fourth.

They rose and roared forth their approval as he moved deliberately across the intervening squares toward the Orange Chief.

The Orange Chief was helpless now in the hands of a swordsman so superior that there could be no comparison, and the people sat in open-mouthed wonder and awe as Gahan of Gathol cut his foe to ribbons and then struck him down with a blow that cleft him to the chin.

View in context

"Moreover," hinted the Orange agitators interspersed through the crowd, whom they hoped to manage like a sharp-edged and at the same time crushing instrument, -- "moreover, will there not, from the Buytenhof to the gate of the town, a nice little opportunity present itself to throw some handfuls of dirt, or a few stones, at this Cornelius de Witt, who not only conferred the dignity of Stadtholder on the Prince of Orange merely vi coactus, but who also intended to have him assassinated?"

Honest Tyckelaer, with a heart full of spite and malice, and with no particular plan settled in his mind, was one of the foremost, being paraded about by the Orange party like a hero of probity, national honour, and Christian charity.

And every phase of his speech, eagerly listened to by the populace, called forth enthusiastic cheers for the Prince of Orange, and groans and imprecations of blind fury against the brothers De Witt.

"'Hurrah for Orange!' all well and good!" replied Tilly, "although I certainly am more partial to happy faces than to gloomy ones.

View in context

There is ever a flaw, however, in the best laid of human plans, and the murderers of John Openshaw were never to receive the orange pips which would show them that another, as cunning and as resolute as themselves, was upon their track.

View in context

Whether it be of the sherbet variety or a more pumpkin-y hue, orange is definitely having a moment.

Orange really is the new black

An orange hue is great for adding an accent colour to a room, being cosy and warming that works well in the warm and cold months.

Bit of zest to add spice; TOP TIP: Hues of orange work well in warm and cold months