black walnut
Americannoun
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a tree, Juglans nigra, of North America, having pinnate leaves and dark-brown bark and bearing an edible nut covered by a thick green or brown husk.
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the nut of this tree.
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the wood of this tree, valued in furniture-making.
noun
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a North American walnut tree, Juglans nigra , with hard dark wood and edible oily nuts
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the valuable wood of this tree, used for cabinet work
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the nut of this tree
Etymology
Origin of black walnut
An Americanism dating back to 1605–15
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How does black-walnut compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Kurt’s cleanse contained black walnut, cloves and wormwood, along with a handful of other herbs.
From Salon ● May 18, 2025
All the plants they’d recently added were burnt to a crisp, and the native endangered Southern California black walnut trees lining the top of their hill were charred and seemingly lifeless.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2024
They have a taste for certain species, namely tree of heaven—also an invasive species from Asia—as well as native species, such as black walnut, several species of maple, hops, and grapevines.
From National Geographic ● Aug. 31, 2023
A: Your maple is probably fine planted where a black walnut was.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2022
Returning, he looked at me sharply, his withered face an animated black walnut with shrewd, reddish eyes.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
