A one-seeded indehiscent fruit with a hard dry pericarp (the shell) that is derived from a one-loculed ovary.
A relatively large, dry, indehiscent fruit with a hard wall, usually containing only one seed.
The homely word nut is the country cousin of some fancy, city-slicker words, including, nucleus, nuclear and nougat. All these words ultimately derive from an Indo-European source that meant lump. This Indo-European source eventually gave rise to the Latin word nux, meaning nut, which later developed a diminutive form, nuculeus, meaning little nut or kernel. This diminutive form lost a syllable and entered English as nucleus in the early eighteenth century as the name of the head of a comet. The Latin nuculeus also gave rise to the French nougat, denoting a confection of nuts and sugar, which entered English at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The Indo-European source that led to nucleus and nougat through Latin and French also entered the Germanic family of languages and gave rise in the ninth century to the Old English word hnutu, which eventually became the word nut. In the mid nineteenth century, the astonishing resemblance of the typical human head to the typical nut prompted expressions such as, “He’s off his nut,” which in turn led to the more familiar idiom, “He’s nuts!” and to the compound nutcase, first recorded in 1959.
Hard, (usually) one-seeded fruit.
An indehiscent, dry, one-seeded fruit with a hard, firm wall.
A hard, relatively great, indehiscent, 1-seeded fruit.
A hard, bony, mostly one-seeded fruit.
A hard-shelled fruit with one seed.
In botany, any fruit that is non-fleshy and does not release its seed or seeds when ripe; in normal use a nut is a dry fruit or seed that contains one or few edible kernels, or one of those kernels.
A dry, one-seeded fruit that does not split open when ripe; like an achene but usually larger with a hard, woody outer covering.
Within the realm of delectable edibles, a diverse array of delectable nuts abounds. Amongst the culinary treasures, one can savor the almond, brazil nut, cashew, chestnut, coconut, filbert, hazel, hickory nut, peanut, pecan, pistachio, and walnut. Each possessing its own distinctive characteristics, these nuts offer a delightful spectrum of flavors, textures, and culinary possibilities. From the delicate crunch of almonds to the rich creaminess of cashews, and from the earthy sweetness of chestnuts to the robust richness of walnuts, these edible gems hold a special place in gastronomy and evoke pleasure with every bite.