acorn
Americannoun
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the typically ovoid fruit or nut of an oak, enclosed at the base by a cupule.
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a finial or knop, as on a piece of furniture, in the form of an acorn.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of acorn
before 1000; Middle English acorne (influenced by corn 1 ), replacing akern, Old English æcern, æcren mast, oak-mast; cognate with Old Norse akarn fruit of wild trees, Middle High German ackeran acorn, Gothic akran fruit, yield < Germanic *akrana-; alleged derivation from base of acre is dubious if original reference was to wild trees
Explanation
The nut, or fruit, that grows on oak trees is called an acorn. Chicken Little thought the sky was falling when an acorn fell on his head. Don't make that same mistake. Acorns are a distinctive nut that's often found on forest floors where oak trees grow. They are smooth and greenish, set in a rough brown base that's shaped like a little cup. The acorn is a seed, able to sprout roots if it falls in the right place, eventually growing into a new oak tree. Many animals eat acorns, some stockpiling the nuts for weeks. In Old English, æcern means "nut," from a Germanic origin.
Vocabulary lists containing acorn
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She calls her private oeuvre the Acorn Studies of Unexplained Death.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Landlord Action, a legal service for landlords, and tenants' union Acorn have both reported a rise in Section 21 "no fault" evictions.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
In a 2023 opinion article in local news outlet the Acorn titled “Keep the Snake closed, it’s quiet,” resident and avid cyclist Todd Bank described how peace and safety abounded in the absence of vehicles.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025
Jersey Sport is working with social enterprise Acorn which will collect and sort the kit before selling it at a discounted price at its shop.
From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025
At this moment he was probably asleep in the burrow which he shared with Bluebell and Acorn, down a short run leading off the Honeycomb.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
