chestnut
any of the several deciduous trees constituting the genus Castanea, of the beech family, having toothed, oblong leaves and bearing edible nuts enclosed in a prickly bur, and including C. dentata(American chestnut ), which has been virtually destroyed by the chestnut blight, C. sativa(European chestnut ),C. mollissima(Chinese chestnut ), and C. crenata(Japanese chestnut ).
the edible nut of such a tree.
the wood of any of these trees.
any fruit or tree resembling the chestnut, as the horse chestnut.
reddish brown.
an old or stale joke, anecdote, etc.
the callosity on the inner side of the leg of a horse.
a reddish-brown horse having the mane and tail of the same color.: Compare bay5 (def. 2).
Also called liver chestnut. a horse of a solid, dark-brown color.
being reddish-brown in color.
(of food) containing or made with chestnuts: turkey with chestnut stuffing.
Idioms about chestnut
pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire, to rescue someone from a difficulty.
Origin of chestnut
1Other words from chestnut
- chestnutty, adjective
Words Nearby chestnut
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use chestnut in a sentence
A new play version from London of the chestnut “A Christmas Carol” was runner-up, with five awards.
Tony Awards 2021: ‘Moulin Rouge’ wins best musical, and ‘The Inheritance’ snags best play | Peter Marks | September 27, 2021 | Washington PostWhether we’ll be drinking soda sweetened with chestnut syrup anytime soon remains to be seen.
Mixing trees and crops can help both farmers and the climate | Jonathan Lambert | July 14, 2021 | Science NewsMolly was a chestnut saddlebred, prone to shying and taking off at a gallop and pinning her ears and snapping at other horses.
They say that whatever you’re doing on New Year’s is what you’ll be doing for the rest of the year, and in the case of The Circle, that chestnut proved spookily accurate.
Along the way, Amar delivers brilliant chestnuts of interpretation, arguing for instance that revolutionary Americans experimented with ideas that anticipated some elements of the British dominion system.
How a decades-long conversation shaped the young United States | Kenneth Mack | May 14, 2021 | Washington Post
Spoiler: you may think twice before getting another Grande chestnut Praline Latte.
chestnut was last, carried on a yellow chariot through a sea of adoring fans.
Joey chestnut nearly lost his seven-year grip on the craziest, wildest, most awesome competitive eating experience in the world.
After topping chestnut numerous times this season, and based on his early pace it looks like David might actually trump Goliath.
The animal was so underfed that his ribs were showing under his lusterless chestnut coat.
Alas, its colour was other than the deep chestnut bronze of Georgie Haggard's.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsJess' chestnut hair was long and silky and nicely braided, but she never murmured as it came off too.
The Box-Car Children | Gertrude Chandler WarnerAs it was, he could not resist opening one eye the slightest crack to see the bright chestnut hair as it passed out of sight.
The Box-Car Children | Gertrude Chandler Warner"Hal" and "Teddy" and "chestnut" are very tired for they have been pulling the plough, the wagon, or doing some farm work all day.
Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon AndersonThe three happy children could see them way up in the old chestnut tree over on the edge of their neighbour's wood.
Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
British Dictionary definitions for chestnut
/ (ˈtʃɛsˌnʌt) /
any N temperate fagaceous tree of the genus Castanea, such as C. sativa (sweet or Spanish chestnut), which produce flowers in long catkins and nuts in a prickly bur: Compare horse chestnut, water chestnut, dwarf chestnut
the edible nut of any of these trees
the hard wood of any of these trees, used in making furniture, etc
a reddish-brown to brown colour
(as adjective): chestnut hair
a horse of a yellow-brown or golden-brown colour
a small horny callus on the inner surface of a horse's leg
informal an old or stale joke
Origin of chestnut
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with chestnut
see old chestnut.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse