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

Example Sentences

My eyes got as big as bur oak acorns.

From Literature

Other roots lowered to a small cupboard and grabbed a couple of mugs made from hollowed acorns the size of apples.

From Literature

Which is more interesting: the grand sweep of Russian history or the crunching sound of acorns underfoot?

From The Wall Street Journal

“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

The drovers would forage along the way, picking berries, acorns and gleaning corn for the birds to eat.

From BBC