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pecan

[ pi-kahn, -kan, pee-kan ]
/ pɪˈkɑn, -ˈkæn, ˈpi kæn /
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noun
a tall hickory tree, Carya illinoinensis, of the southern U.S. and Mexico, cultivated for its oval, smooth-shelled, edible nuts: the state tree of Texas.
a nut of this tree.
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Origin of pecan

1765–75, Americanism;<Mississippi Valley French pacane<Illinois pakani< Proto-Algonquian *paka·n- nut (derivative of *pake·- crack nuts)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pecan in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pecan

pecan
/ (pɪˈkæn, ˈpiːkən) /

noun
a hickory tree, Carya pecan (or C. illinoensis), of the southern US, having deeply furrowed bark and edible nuts
the smooth oval nut of this tree, which has a sweet oily kernel

Word Origin for pecan

C18: from Algonquian paccan; related to Ojibwa pagân nut with a hard shell, Cree pakan
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
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