bitternut

American  

[bit-er-nuht] / ˈbɪt ərˌnʌt /

noun

1. a hickory, Carya cordiformis, of the eastern and southern U.S., bearing a smooth, gray, bitter seed.

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bitternut British  

/ ˈbɪtəˌnʌt /

noun

1. an E North American hickory tree, Carya cordiformis , with thin-shelled nuts and bitter kernels

2. the nut of this plant

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Etymology

Origin of bitternut

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10; bitter + nut

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bitternut

The nonnative trees include ponderosa pine from South Dakota and Nebraska, and bitternut hickory from southern Minnesota and Illinois.

From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2019

Palik pointed out bitternut hickory from southern Minnesota and Illinois.

From Washington Post

Davis has continued to grow on it for over fifteen years but growth is slower than on shagbark or bitternut stocks.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 43rd Annual Meeting Rockport, Indiana, August 25, 26 and 27, 1952 by Northern Nut Growers Association

It may be that the bitternut does not thrive as well in the South as it does here.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 43rd Annual Meeting Rockport, Indiana, August 25, 26 and 27, 1952 by Northern Nut Growers Association

I have only one Weschcke grafted on a pecan of this sort, and it makes much greater growth each year than does this variety grafted on the native bitternut stocks.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Incorporated 39th Annual Report at Norris, Tenn. September 13-15 1948 by Northern Nut Growers Association