hazel
1 Americannoun
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any shrub or small tree belonging to the genus Corylus, of the birch family, having toothed, ovate leaves and bearing edible nuts, as C. avellana, of Europe, or C. americana and C. cornuta, of the Western Hemisphere.
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any of several other shrubs or trees, as an Australian shrub, Pomaderris apetala.
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the wood of any of these trees.
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the hazelnut or filbert.
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light golden brown, as the color of a hazelnut.
adjective
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of or relating to the hazel.
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made of the wood of the hazel.
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having a light golden-brown color.
noun
noun
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Also called: cob. any of several shrubs of the N temperate genus Corylus, esp C. avellana, having oval serrated leaves and edible rounded brown nuts: family Corylaceae
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the wood of any of these trees
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short for hazelnut
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a light yellowish-brown colour
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( as adjective )
hazel eyes
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Usage
What color are hazel eyes? Opinions vary on what, exactly, constitutes hazel eyes. Some consider them to be any shade with light brown or gold tones; others think they are a variation of brown eyes, only with more green or gold in the iris.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hazel
before 900; Middle English hasel; Old English hæs ( e ) l; cognate with German Hasel, Old Norse hasl, Latin corylus hazel shrub
Vocabulary lists containing hazel
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.
Their daughters, Hazel and Violet, both act in school plays and have started to love visiting their parents on set.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Hazel McQueen, a finance major at the University of Georgia, set her sights on the Tampa area early in her job search.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Before play started BBC presenter Hazel Irvine said Virgo was "universally loved by everyone in this sport and beyond - he really was the voice of snooker".
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
In Pittsburgh, the Glen Hazel eagles recently showed off their second egg of the year to a virtual audience.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life turning the wheel of a farmer’s chariot, but if it meant saving Hazel...
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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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.