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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.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bitternut

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

From New York Times

Among the biggest trees in Indiana is a 155-foot-tall hickory bitternut in Perry County.

From Washington Times

This is closely allied to if not a more Southern form of our common bitternut.

From Project Gutenberg

THE bitternut hickory is a tall slender tree with broadly pyramidal crown, attaining a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet.

From Project Gutenberg

There are hickories and hickories, and some are shellbarks, while others are bitternuts or pignuts.

From Project Gutenberg