hickory

¹ American  

[hik-uh-ree, hik-ree] / ˈhɪk ə ri, ˈhɪk ri /

noun

plural

hickories

1. any of several North American trees belonging to the genus Carya, of the walnut family, certain species of which bear edible nuts or yield a valuable wood.

2. the wood of any of these trees.

3. a switch, stick, etc., of this wood.

4. Baseball Slang. a baseball bat.

5. Also called hickory cloth,.  Also called hickory stripe.  a strong fabric of twill construction, used chiefly in the manufacture of work clothes.

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Hickory ² American  

[hik-uh-ree, hik-ree] / ˈhɪk ə ri, ˈhɪk ri /

noun

1. a city in W North Carolina.

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hickory British  

/ ˈhɪkərɪ /

noun

1. any juglandaceous tree of the chiefly North American genus Carya, having nuts with edible kernels and hard smooth shells See also pecan pignut bitternut shagbark

2. the hard tough wood of any of these trees

3. the nut of any of these trees

4. a switch or cane made of hickory wood

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Etymology

Origin of hickory

First recorded in 1610–20, earlier pohickery, from Virginia Algonquian ( English spelling) pocohiquara, the name of a milky drink prepared from hickory nuts

Explanation

A hickory is a deciduous tree, and it's also the name of the edible nut it produces. Wood from hickory trees is extremely hard and durable. The word hickory comes from the Algonquian pawcohiccora, the rich liquid that was extracted from hickory nuts and used as a beverage, cooking oil, and ingredient in many dishes. Besides being an important food source, North American hickory trees were used by indigenous peoples to make tools and weapons from the hard wood. Hickory bark was used to make fabric dyes and lye for soap. Today, wooden objects that need to be strong — like baseball bats, floorboards, and drumsticks — are often made from hickory.

Example Sentences

I like their sandwiches, or the hickory burger with cheese, and there’s good French fries.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

And Joq is genuinely fascinated by the way hickory smoke mellows and rounds out a pungent blue cheese.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

The kitchen also follows the same aesthetic as the rest of the home and is adorned in wood cabinetry, a wooden island, and hand-hewn hickory flooring.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 26, 2025

Customers are increasingly being lured by brands like TimberTech, which dispense with wood altogether in favor of polyvinyl chloride patterned to resemble mahogany, teak, or hickory.

From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025

Each plate had a pile of soaked and stewed honey locust beans—mixed with hickory nuts.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

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