noun / verb
nut
NUT/nʌt/
An edible seed or kernel usually enclosed in a hard shell.
The cracked nut reveals an edible kernel inside its hard shell.
Etymology
Old English hnutu already named a nut. The food sense preserves this concrete meaning, centered on the seed or kernel enclosed in a hard woody covering.
In context
they add ye and the ground nut paste pistachio powder brings out more pistachio flavor
More examples
- This bread contains chopped nuts and dried fruit.
- He checks the label because he is allergic to nuts.
- We go nutting in the woods each fall.
Forms
nut · nuts · nutted · nutting
nutty adjective — Containing nuts or tasting like them.
nutshell noun — The hard outer covering of a nut.
Similar words
- kernel
- Emphasizes the inner part, without its shell or husk.
- seed
- Broader term; not necessarily edible or enclosed in a hard shell.