pecan
Americannoun
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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.
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a nut of this tree.
noun
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a hickory tree, Carya pecan (or C. illinoensis ), of the southern US, having deeply furrowed bark and edible nuts
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the smooth oval nut of this tree, which has a sweet oily kernel
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pecan
1765–75, < Mississippi Valley French pacane < Illinois pakani < Proto-Algonquian *paka·n- nut (derivative of *pake·- crack nuts)
Explanation
A pecan is a tree that grows nuts also known as pecans. These hard-shelled nuts are similar to walnuts and used for sweet treats like praline candy and pecan pie. Pecan comes from an Algonquian word that means "nut that takes a stone to crack." It takes some work to break open a pecan, but it's well worth the effort. There are at least three "correct" ways to pronounce this word, so your best bet is to pick your favorite and stick with it. Pecan wood is used to make furniture and for smoking meats, and four U.S. states claim the pecan as their official state nut.
Vocabulary lists containing pecan
English Words Derived from Indigenous Languages of the Americas
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He owns Little Pecan, a private island in the Louisiana marshes and a hunting paradise.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025
If apple pie isn’t your preferred flavor of pie, TJ’s also offers Teeny Tiny Pecan Pies and Teeny Tiny Strawberry Rhubarb Pies, available for the same price.
From Salon • Nov. 26, 2025
My memory revolves around Pecan Lodge’s brisket melting in my mouth and seeing Allen High’s $62-million stadium.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 25, 2024
For sale: The “Stone House,” a futuristic stone and wood country house built on 30 acres along Pecan Creek, near Horseshoe Bay, Texas.
From Washington Times • Nov. 16, 2023
The body was in shallow water near the bank, it was reported, and was found at Pecan Point near Phillipp.
From "Mississippi Trial, 1955" by Chris Crowe
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
