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nutcracker

[ nuht-krak-er ]
/ ˈnʌtˌkræk ər /
|

noun

an instrument or device for cracking the shells of nuts.
any of several corvine birds of the genus Nucifraga that feed on nuts, as the common nutcracker, N. caryocatactes, of Europe and Clark's nutcracker, N. columbiana, of the western U.S.

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Nearby words

nutant, nutate, nutation, nutbrown, nutcase, nutcracker, nutcracker suite, nutgall, nuthatch, nuthouse, nutjob

Origin of nutcracker

First recorded in 1540–50; nut + cracker
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nut-cracker

British Dictionary definitions for nut-cracker

nutcracker

/ (ˈnʌtˌkrækə) /

noun

(often plural) a device for cracking the shells of nuts
either of two birds, Nucifraga caryocatactes of the Old World or N. columbianus (Clark's nutcracker) of North America, having speckled plumage and feeding on nuts, seeds, etc: family Corvidae (crows)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for nut-cracker

nut-cracker

n.

also nutcracker, 1540s, from nut (n.) + agent noun from crack (v.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper