chinquapin

Or chin·ca·pin,

[ching-kuh-pin]

noun

1. a shrubby chestnut, Castanea pumila, of the beech family, native to the southeastern United States, having toothed, oblong leaves and small edible nuts.

2. Also called golden chinquapin. a Pacific coast evergreen tree, Castanopsis chrysophylla, of the beech family, having deeply furrowed bark, dark green lance-shaped leaves, and inedible nuts.

3. the nut of either of these trees.

chinquapin

/ ˈtʃɪŋkəpɪn /

noun

1. a dwarf chestnut tree, Castanea pumila, of the eastern US, yielding edible nuts

2. Also called: giant chinquapin. a large evergreen fagaceous tree, Castanopsis chrysophylla, of W North America

3. the nut of either of these trees

Word History and Origins

Origin of chinquapin¹

An Americanism dating back to 1605–15; from Virginia Algonquian ( English spelling) chechinquamins

Word History and Origins

Origin of chinquapin¹

C17: of Algonquian origin; compare Algonquian chechinkamin chestnut

Example Sentences

“I call them orchards, but they are really more like small forests made of many types of fruit trees, plus some native trees like cypress and chinquapin,” he said.

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The chinquapin oak died in the 1990s but was still standing in 2005 when Jackson and others surveyed the area again.

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Fuller's chinquapin.—Leaves large, broadly oval, pointed, coarsely serrate, pale green above, clear silvery white below.

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Among shrubs and bushes, the many kinds of sweet-scented ceanothus or deer brush, manzanita, chokecherry, chinquapin, and dogwood are most noticed.

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He and Mars Henry played marbles together, fished or swam the millpond, searched the woods for chinquapins or hickory nuts.

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