horse chestnut
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noun
a tree, Aesculus hippocastanum, native to the Old World, having digitate leaves and upright clusters of white flowers.
the shiny, brown, nutlike seed of this tree or of other trees of the genus Aesculus.
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Origin of horse chestnut
1590–1600; translation of New Latin castanea equīna; so named from its use in treating respiratory diseases of horses
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use horse chestnut in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for horse chestnut
horse chestnut
noun
any of several trees of the genus Aesculus, esp the Eurasian A. hippocastanum, having palmate leaves, erect clusters of white, pink, or red flowers, and brown shiny inedible nuts enclosed in a spiky bur: family Hippocastanaceae
Also called: conker the nut of this tree
Word Origin for horse chestnut
C16: so called from its having been used in the treatment of respiratory disease in horses
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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