hickory

¹

[ hik-uh-ree, hik-ree ]

noun

, plural hick·o·ries.

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. Compare pecan, shagbark.
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,. a strong fabric of twill construction, used chiefly in the manufacture of work clothes.

Hickory

²

[ hik-uh-ree, hik-ree ]

noun

1. a city in W North Carolina.

hickory

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hickory¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hickory¹

C17: from earlier pohickery, from Algonquian pawcohiccora food made from ground hickory nuts

Example Sentences

Chanty said the Youngkins are not registered to vote at the Hickory precinct, making the teen’s effort to cast a ballot there even more peculiar.

From Washington Post

Once the fog disappears, you’re left with a stack of hickory-kissed ribs, meaty and tender if sweeter than I like.

From Washington Post

Hickory is a common smoky flavor profile in barbecue, and many sauces achieve that flavor by using liquid smoke, which is created by burning hickory at high temperatures to make smoke that’s then collected and transformed.

From Eater

After all, each halibut, hickory tree, or human being appears to be distinct and fixed in time—or at least identifiable as this object, this creature, this person.

From Nautilus

Pecan is a southern species of hickory with a flavor that resembles most other hickory nuts.

From Popular-Science

Outside, oak and hickory and pecan trees dotted the rolling grassland.

From The Daily Beast

Salmon, tuna, sturgeon, mussels, oysters, and sable are marinated and smoked using hickory and alder wood.

From The Daily Beast

Bill Kristol's comparison of the Alaskan governor to Old Hickory doesn't fly.

From The Daily Beast

Of course he was contemplating the application of a "two year old hickory," as he went on at the rate of two forty.

From Project Gutenberg

There was a quiet, cynical smile on his face as he sat there beating a tattoo on his leggings with a hickory twig.

From Project Gutenberg

Coal is best, but hickory saplings, chopped about two feet long, make a good steaming heat.

From Project Gutenberg

Holding out his hand, white as a woman's, a diamond flashed on the ring-finger as large as a hickory nut.

From Project Gutenberg

Without a word, Jim's right hand crept stealthily inside his hickory shirt, where a button was missing.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• business
• staff