Where does the name orange come from?

Orange trees are the most commonly cultivated fruit trees in the world. Oranges are a popular fruit because of their natural sweetness, wide variety of types and diversity of uses, from juices and marmalades to face masks and candied orange slices.

Origin in Asia

Nowadays orange trees thrive around the world in warm-climate (tropical and sub-tropical) regions. Nobody seems to know where oranges originally come from.  It is assumed to have originated in southern China, northeastern India, and perhaps southeastern Asia (formerly Indochina). The word "orange" ultimately comes from a transliteration of the Sankrit naranga, which comes from the Tamil naru ("fragrant"). The fruit typically has 11 individual pieces inside and in Tamil, the word "Orangu" translates to "6 and 5" implying 11. In Spanish, orange is called naranja. 

Oranges along the trade routes to prevent scurvy

In botany, orange refers to any of several types small, evergreen trees or shrubs bearing round fruit and belonging to the genus Citrus and in particular applies to the sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) or the Seville, sour, or bitter orange (Citrus aurantium).

The Persian orange, grown widely in southern Europe after its introduction to Italy in the eleventh century, was bitter. Sweet oranges brought to Europe in the fifteenth century from India by Portuguese traders quickly displaced the bitter and are now the most common variety of orange cultivated. The sweet orange will grow to different sizes and colors according to local conditions, most commonly with ten carpels, or segments, inside. Portuguese, Spanish, Arab, and Dutch sailors planted citrus trees along trade routes to prevent scurvy. 

Full of Vitamic C

An orange has over 170 different phytochemicals and more than 60 flavonoids. Many of these have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and strong antioxidant effects. As an excellent source of the strong antioxidant vitamic C, oranges can also help combat the formation of free radicals