walnut

American  

[wawl-nuht, -nuht] / ˈwɔlˌnʌt, -nət /

noun

• walnuts
  plural

1. the edible nut of trees of the genus Juglans, of the North Temperate Zone.

2. the tree itself.

3. the wood of such a tree.

4. Northeastern U.S. the hickory nut.

5. any of various fruits or trees resembling the walnut.

6. a somewhat reddish shade of brown, as that of the heartwood of the black walnut tree.

---

walnut British  

/ ˈwɔːlˌnʌt /

noun

1. any juglandaceous deciduous tree of the genus Juglans, of America, SE Europe, and Asia, esp J. regia, which is native to W Asia but introduced elsewhere. They have aromatic leaves and flowers in catkins and are grown for their edible nuts and for their wood

2. the nut of any of these trees, having a wrinkled two-lobed seed and a hard wrinkled shell

3. the wood of any of these trees, used in making furniture, panelling, etc

4. a light yellowish-brown colour

---

adjective

1. made from the wood of a walnut tree

   a walnut table

2. of the colour walnut

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• walnuts
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of walnut

before 1050; Middle English; Old English wealh-hnutu literally, foreign nut; see Welsh, nut

---

Explanation

A walnut is a type of deciduous tree, and it's also the name of the edible seed it produces. Walnuts have famously hard shells: You'll need a tool to crack a walnut open and get to the tasty part inside. Several species of walnut trees are grown for both seeds and timber. The wood itself, which can also be called walnut, is hard and sturdy enough to use for furniture and cutting boards. The trees are native to many parts of the world, and walnuts appear in a variety of regional foods, from Persian stews to baklava to British pickled walnuts. The Old English source of walnut is walhnutu, which literally means "foreign nut."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

walnut walnuts

In 1873 Ludvig sent his elder brother, Robert, to the Caucasus to buy walnut trees for wooden rifle stocks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Homeowners can opt for heavier doors made of walnut or oak, for instance, and also invest in higher-quality doorknobs and hinges.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

Echoing that signature yellow hue: a walnut island, a hammered barrel-vaulted copper hood, a copper farmhouse sink and replicated 1920s cabinetry painted “Matchstick” by Farrow & Ball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The treatment for Carey's walnut and pecan allergy cost £6,000, with a further £4,000 set aside for associated travel and hotel costs.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

I had a leather chair, a buffed walnut desk, and wide windows with a southeastern view.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Mitchell Yerxa and his family run a 3,500-acre farm in California’s Sacramento Valley that grows 16 crops, including tomatoes, walnuts and rice.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

Researchers at King's College London found that urolithin A, which is produced in the body after eating foods including pomegranates, walnuts and some berries, can help the heart relax more effectively.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

Faizi said that the village, which once produced only apples and walnuts, now has cherry, pear, and peach trees, among others.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

Carey can now eat seven walnuts or pecans without having an allergic reaction so treatment was "100% worth it", Scott said.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

Alba continued chattering about the cook who had stuck walnuts up the chickens’ tails for the evening meal.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---