Showing definitions for acorn

SEE ALSO

Politics dictionary results for acorn

acorn

American  

[ey-kawrn, ey-kern] / ˈeɪ kɔrn, ˈeɪ kərn /

noun

1. the typically ovoid fruit or nut of an oak, enclosed at the base by a cupule.

2. a finial or knop, as on a piece of furniture, in the form of an acorn.

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acorn British  

/ ˈeɪkɔːn /

noun

1. the fruit of an oak tree, consisting of a smooth thick-walled nut in a woody scaly cuplike base

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Other Word Forms

• acorned
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

ACORN, a community union, held a protest outside Southwark Council's offices on 14 July and called on the council to find Michelle a suitable home as quickly as possible.

From BBC • Jul. 29, 2023

Like the Indiana authorities in 2016, the F.B.I. was investigating canvassers who provided fraudulent registrations, in this case to ACORN.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2020

"Independent Lens" presents "ACORN and the Firestorm," a new documentary about the controversial investigation that brought down the national community organizing group.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2018

The video triggered a public-relations crisis for ACORN, which subsequently lost its federal funding and went out of operation.

From Washington Post • Jun. 28, 2017

ACORN, the fruit of the oak-tree; a word also used, by analogy with the shape, in nautical language, for a piece of wood keeping the vane on the mast-head.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg