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walnut
wal·nut [ wáwl nùt, wáwlnət ] (plural wal·nuts)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. edible nut: a deeply wrinkled nut that is enclosed in a hard shell and a thick leathery husk
2. valuable wood: a hard dark brown wood. Use: cabinetwork, paneling, veneers. ( often used before a noun )

3. tree valued for nuts and wood: a deciduous tree with fragrant compound leaves and drooping catkins, grown worldwide for its shade, wood, and walnuts. Genus Juglans.
4. dark brown color: a dark brown color like that of walnut wood
[14th century. < Old English wealhnutu "foreign nut," < wealh "foreign, Welsh, Celtic"]

wal·nut adjective

Word History

The prehistoric Germanic peoples regarded the walnut as the "foreign nut" because it did not originally grow in northern Europe, but was introduced from Gaul and Italy, the lands of the Celts and the Romans (the Germans' own native nut was the hazel).
Encarta® World English Dictionary [North American Edition] © & (P)2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
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