butternut

[buht-er-nuht]

noun

1. Also called white walnut. the edible oily nut of an American tree, Juglans cinerea, of the walnut family.

2. the tree itself.

3. the light-brown wood of this tree, used for making furniture.

4. the light-brown color resulting from a dye made from this tree.

5. U.S. History.,  a Confederate soldier or partisan, especially one whose uniform was dyed with an extract from this tree.

6. souari nut.

butternut

/ ˈbʌtəˌnʌt /

noun

1. a walnut tree, Juglans cinerea of E North America Compare black walnut

2. the oily edible egg-shaped nut of this tree

3. the hard brownish-grey wood of this tree

4. the bark of this tree or an extract from it, formerly used as a laxative

5. a brownish colour or dye

6. short for butternut pumpkin

Word History and Origins

Origin of butternut¹

An Americanism dating back to 1735–45; so called from the nut's oiliness

Example Sentences

The pasta starts with béchamel sauce that’s stirred in with sweet butternut squash purée and a “rich, nutty, and tangy blend of Gouda, Cheddar, and Parmesan cheeses,” according to TJ’s.

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All the other types get double names, like butternut squash or acorn squash, but not the yellow kind with the bulbous bodies and thin curving necks.

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You have your leading ladies, your butternut squash, carrots and then you have the character actor that you can't look away from.

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Mr Banks said he did not yet know if the large number of steak and ale, turkey and cranberry, and butternut squash pies were still stored in the back.

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The stolen items, which included steak and ale pies, turkey and cranberry pies and butternut squash pies, would have been enough to stock Tommy's Pie Shop for a week, according to the chef.

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