'Orange' lost its 'n' — Arabic 'naranj' became French 'une orenge' when the 'n' was absorbed into the article.
A round citrus fruit with a tough bright reddish-yellow rind; also the colour between red and yellow.
From Old French 'orenge,' from Old Provençal 'auranja,' from Arabic 'nāranj' (نارنج), from Persian 'nārang' (نارنگ), from Sanskrit 'nāraṅga' (नारङ्ग), possibly from a Dravidian source. The initial 'n' was lost in French through misdivision — 'une norenge' was reanalyzed as 'une orenge.' The word was also influenced by the city of Orange in Provence and by Old French 'or' (gold), which reinforced the 'o-' beginning. Key roots: nāraṅga (Sanskrit: "orange tree
Spanish 'naranja' preserves the original Arabic 'n-' that English and French lost. The 'n' disappeared in French through misdivision: 'une norenge' was heard as 'une orenge,' and the 'n' was swallowed by the article. Portuguese went further — 'uma laranja' somehow gained an 'l.' The fruit was named before the color: before oranges arrived in Europe, English had no word for the color orange, calling it 'geoluhread' (yellow-red