chestnut

chestnut
I. noun Etymology: Middle English chasteine, chesten chestnut tree, from Anglo-French chastein, chestain, from Latin castanea, from Greek kastanea Date: 14th century 1. a. any of a genus (Castanea) of trees or shrubs of the beech family; especially an American tree (C. dentata) that was formerly a dominant or codominant member of many deciduous forests of the eastern United States but has now been largely eliminated by the chestnut blight and seldom grows beyond the shrub or sapling stage b. the edible nut of a chestnut c. the wood of a chestnut 2. a grayish to reddish brown 3. horse chestnut 4. a chestnut-colored animal; specifically a horse having a body color of any shade of pure or reddish brown with mane, tail, and points of the same or a lighter shade — compare bay II,1, sorrel I,1 5. a callosity on the inner side of the leg of the horse — see horse illustration 6. a. an old joke or story b. something (as a musical piece or a saying) repeated to the point of staleness II. adjective Date: 1555 1. of the color chestnut 2. of, relating to, or resembling a chestnut

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Chestnut — steht für Chestnut Canoe Company, kanadischer Kanuhersteller von 1904 1979 den Familiennamen folgender Personen: Cyrus Chestnut (* 1963), US amerikanischer Jazz Pianist Morris Chestnut (* 1969), US amerikanischer Schauspieler mehrere Orte in den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • chestnut — 1560s, from chesten nut (1510s), from M.E. chasteine, from O.Fr. chastain (12c., Mod.Fr. chátaigne), from L. castanea chestnut, chestnut tree, from Gk. kastaneia, which the Greeks thought meant either nut from Castanea in Pontus, or nut from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Chestnut — Chest nut, n. [For chesten nut; OE. chestein, chesten, chastein, chestnut, fr. AS. cisten in cistenbe[ a]m chestnut tree, influenced by OF. chastaigne, F. ch[^a]taigne, both the AS. and the F. words coming from L. castanea a chestnut, Gr. ?, fr.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chestnut — ► NOUN 1) a glossy hard brown nut which develops within a bristly case and can be roasted and eaten. 2) (also sweet chestnut or Spanish chestnut) the large tree that produces these nuts. 3) a deep reddish brown colour. 4) a horse of a reddish… …   English terms dictionary

  • Chestnut — Chest nut, a. Of or pertaining of a chestnut; of a reddish brown color; as, chestnut curls. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chestnut — [ches′nut΄, chest′nut΄] n. [< chesten nut < ME chesteine < OFr chastaigne < L castanea < Gr kastaneia] 1. the smooth shelled, sweet, edible nut of any of a genus (Castanea) of trees of the beech family 2. the tree that it grows on… …   English World dictionary

  • Chestnut — For other uses of chestnut , see Chestnut (disambiguation). For other uses of chinquapin or chinkapin , see Chinquapin (disambiguation). Chestnut Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa Scientific clas …   Wikipedia

  • chestnut — chestnutty, adj. /ches nut , neuht/, n. 1. any of the several deciduous trees constituting the genus Castanea, of the beech family, having toothed, oblong leaves and bearing edible nuts enclosed in a prickly bur, and including C. dentata… …   Universalium

  • chestnut — [[t]tʃe̱snʌt[/t]] chestnuts 1) N COUNT A chestnut or chestnut tree is a tall tree with broad leaves. → See also horse chestnut 2) N COUNT Chestnuts are the reddish brown nuts that grow on chestnut trees. You can eat chestnuts. 3) COLOUR Something …   English dictionary

  • chestnut — chest|nut [ tʃes,nʌt ] noun 1. ) count a large smooth red brown nut that you can eat: roast chestnuts chestnut stuffing 2. ) chestnut or chestnut tree count a tall tree with large wide leaves that produces chestnuts a ) uncount the wood of a… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • chestnut — /ˈtʃɛsnʌt / (say chesnut) noun 1. the edible nut of trees of the genus Castanea, of the beech family. 2. any of the trees, as C. sativa (Spanish chestnut), C. dentata (American chestnut), or C. crenata (Japanese chestnut). 3. Obsolete → Moreton… …  

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