groundnut

American  

[ground-nuht] / ˈgraʊndˌnʌt /

noun

1. Also called wild bean, potato bean.  a twining, North American plant, Apios americana (orA. tuberosa ), of the legume family, having clusters of fragrant brownish flowers and an edible tuber.

2. any of several other plants having edible underground parts, as the peanut.

3. South Atlantic States. peanut.

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groundnut British  

/ ˈɡraʊndˌnʌt /

noun

1. a North American climbing leguminous plant, Apios tuberosa, with fragrant brown flowers and small edible underground tubers

2. the tuber of this plant

3. any of several other plants having underground nutlike parts

4. another name for peanut

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Etymology

Origin of groundnut

First recorded in 1595–1605; ground ¹ + nut

Example Sentences

In a statement on Thursday, Human Rights Watch said the acid pollution had "killed fish, burned maize and groundnut crops, and led to the deaths of livestock, wiping out livelihoods of local farmers".

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2025

The Ashburn-Turner County Chamber of Commerce raised nearly $80,000 to replace the giant groundnut, which had saluted motorists since 1975 until it was blown down on Oct.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 24, 2023

He’s also switched some of his corn fields in Sagnarigu, northern Ghana, to soybeans and groundnut, which do not require fertilizer.

From Washington Post • Jul. 14, 2022

In honor of National Peanut Butter Day, Fox News Digital takes a look at the groundnut through a historical lens.

From Fox News • Jan. 24, 2022

He had invented what he imagined was fried rice, frying the rice in groundnut oil, and had half hoped it would send them both to the toilet in a hurry.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie