Why are oranges called oranges?

Why an Orange is Called an Orange The word orange comes from Sanskrit nārangah (orange tree). Other European languages adapted the word – Persian nārang, Armenian nārinj, Arabic nāranj, (Spanish naranja and Portuguese laranja), Late Latin arangia, Italian arancia or arancio, and Old French orenge, in chronological order. read more

French picked this word up and dropped the n to make orenge. In English it became orange. “Orange” became a color in English several hundred years later. Interestingly, in Castilian Spanish, the fruit orange is called naranja (harking back to the Dravidian language group origins). read more