American chestnut

[uh-mer-i-kuhn chest-nuht, chest-nuht]

noun

1. chestnut1

Word History and Origins

Origin of American chestnut¹

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

Example Sentences

Whether chronicling the tragic history of the American chestnut, or the anger of contemporary activists confronting climate change, Powers’ concentric plots spin.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There are many names the world over for what we call the American chestnut tree, including the names given it by the first peoples of its native range.

Read more on Salon

“We called them gray ghosts,” the now 77-year-old retired forester says of the American chestnut tree scattered throughout his former North Carolina home and still towering over the forest floors.

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Within 50 years, the towering American chestnut trees were gone.

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By springtime, the group had planted upward of 20,000 seedlings, a mix of 20 different native tree species including the American chestnut, the Virginia pine and a variety of oaks.

Read more on New York Times