walnut

American  

[wawl-nuht, -nuht] / ˈwɔlˌnʌt, -nət /

noun

• walnuts
  plural

1. the edible nut of trees of the genus Juglans, of the North Temperate Zone.

2. the tree itself.

3. the wood of such a tree.

4. Northeastern U.S. the hickory nut.

5. any of various fruits or trees resembling the walnut.

6. a somewhat reddish shade of brown, as that of the heartwood of the black walnut tree.

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walnut British  

/ ˈwɔːlˌnʌt /

noun

1. any juglandaceous deciduous tree of the genus Juglans, of America, SE Europe, and Asia, esp J. regia, which is native to W Asia but introduced elsewhere. They have aromatic leaves and flowers in catkins and are grown for their edible nuts and for their wood

2. the nut of any of these trees, having a wrinkled two-lobed seed and a hard wrinkled shell

3. the wood of any of these trees, used in making furniture, panelling, etc

4. a light yellowish-brown colour

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adjective

1. made from the wood of a walnut tree

   a walnut table

2. of the colour walnut

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• walnuts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of walnut

before 1050; Middle English; Old English wealh-hnutu literally, foreign nut; see Welsh, nut

Explanation

A walnut is a type of deciduous tree, and it's also the name of the edible seed it produces. Walnuts have famously hard shells: You'll need a tool to crack a walnut open and get to the tasty part inside. Several species of walnut trees are grown for both seeds and timber. The wood itself, which can also be called walnut, is hard and sturdy enough to use for furniture and cutting boards. The trees are native to many parts of the world, and walnuts appear in a variety of regional foods, from Persian stews to baklava to British pickled walnuts. The Old English source of walnut is walhnutu, which literally means "foreign nut."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

walnut walnuts

In 1873 Ludvig sent his elder brother, Robert, to the Caucasus to buy walnut trees for wooden rifle stocks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Homeowners can opt for heavier doors made of walnut or oak, for instance, and also invest in higher-quality doorknobs and hinges.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

Nature shows up everywhere in her studio: rocks in glass jars, pieces of driftwood and tiny “forests” she’s made from glass, brass and walnut.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

The treatment for Carey's walnut and pecan allergy cost £6,000, with a further £4,000 set aside for associated travel and hotel costs.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

They watched the little squirrel as he tapped the walnut shell with his knuckles.

From "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl

Faizi said that the village, which once produced only apples and walnuts, now has cherry, pear, and peach trees, among others.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

She sat on the ground on a thin cushion fashioned from some clothes, with small sacks of cashews, almonds, raisins, walnuts and dried figs placed in front.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

My go-to is chicken salad with chopped walnuts, crisp Granny Smith apples, and golden raisins.

From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026

“We have to make our own from anything with tannin — oak galls, acorns or black walnuts — and let it sit to dye it black.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026

“Would you like a chocolate-chip cookie with walnuts in it?”

From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo