Showing results for "acorn"

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Politics dictionary results for acorn.

acorn

American  

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

noun

acorns plural

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

Derived Forms

• acorned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• acorns
  plural

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

See Examples For:

acorn acorns

Fireballs are made when larger pieces of debris - more like the size of a grape or an acorn - pass though the atmosphere.

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

Fireballs are made when much larger pieces of debris, external - more like the size of a grape or an acorn - pass though the atmosphere.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

According to scientists, the crisis is being driven by a fast-growing bear population, combined with a falling human population and poor acorn harvest pushing bears to seek food elsewhere.

From Barron's ● Dec. 24, 2025

Nearby in the Rosemont Pavilion, the “Go Bowling” float loomed along with 16 other fantastical creations: chipmunks sharing an acorn, the Little Tramp dancing with his girl, B.B.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024

Then he remembered the message in the wooden acorn and said, “Mr. Bonneville, what’s the Rusakov field?”

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

Bears are thriving thanks in part to an abundance of food -- including acorns, deer and boars -- under the influence of a warming climate, experts say.

From Barron's ● May 8, 2026

It introduces us to Chinese villagers 10,000 years ago who subsisted on a mélange of acorns, berries, deer and pigs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

Meat N’ Bone Pork Rack – Iberico is another special variety of pork, hailing from Spain, where these pigs roam free and are fed a diet of grass, grains, and acorns.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

As some heated rocks in the fire and others cracked and used stones to grind acorns into flour, the smell of burning oak logs permeated the air.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2025

So he went to Dodona, in the land of oak trees, where the talking oaks were which declared Zeus’s will and where the Selli lived who made their bread from acorns.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton