butternut

American  

[buht-er-nuht] / ˈbʌt ərˌnʌt /

noun

• butternuts
  plural

1. Also called white walnut. the edible oily nut of an American tree, Juglans cinerea, of the walnut family.

2. the tree itself.

3. the light-brown wood of this tree, used for making furniture.

4. the light-brown color resulting from a dye made from this tree.

5. U.S. History. a Confederate soldier or partisan, especially one whose uniform was dyed with an extract from this tree.

6. souari nut.

---

butternut British  

/ ˈbʌtəˌnʌt /

noun

1. a walnut tree, Juglans cinerea of E North America Compare black walnut

2. the oily edible egg-shaped nut of this tree

3. the hard brownish-grey wood of this tree

4. the bark of this tree or an extract from it, formerly used as a laxative

5. a brownish colour or dye

6. short for butternut pumpkin

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• butternuts
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of butternut

An Americanism dating back to 1735–45; so called from the nut's oiliness

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

butternut butternuts

They say scraps are an overlooked source of dietary fibre and are encouraging people to try "root-to-tip" eating, including watermelon rind, pineapple core and butternut squash seeds.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

For their study, the scientists at King's College London analysed 12 raw or uncooked fresh foods - beetroot, bell pepper, broccoli, butternut squash, cauliflower, celeriac, curly kale, fennel, kiwi fruit, leek, pineapple and watermelon.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

While the ingredients are local, the cuisine leans global, including Thai-style curry made with butternut squash and braised chicken leg served with a roasted pumpkin muhammara.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

The menus began modestly: my mom’s chicken noodle soup alongside store-bought tomato soup from the Whole Foods hot bar; my dad’s white chicken chili and a simple butternut squash soup scattered with chives.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

The toy soldier lay facedown at the burled root of a butternut tree, as if he had pitched himself there in despair.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

Beige-skinned and oblong, they look more like bloated butternuts than anything you’d carve to make a jack-o’-lantern.

From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2021

He’s also a sometime farmer whose butternuts have won first place so often at the Washington County Fair that no one else bothers to enter anymore.

From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2011

"We know this because of the butternuts," she says.

From Time Magazine Archive

I feel it is so bad on Japanese walnuts and butternuts that they shouldn't be propagated in the area.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 41st Annual Meeting Pleasant Valley, New York, August 28, 29 and 30, 1950 by Northern Nut Growers Association

Hickory-nuts and butternuts, too, perhaps hazelnuts and even beechnuts—all these American boys and girls of the real country know.

From Getting Acquainted with the Trees by J. Horace (John Horace) McFarland

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---