Main Entry:

pe·can

Pronunciation:

\pi-ˈkän, -ˈkan; ˈpē-ˌkan\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

American French pacane, from Illinois pakani

Date:

1772

1 : a large hickory (Carya illinoinensis syn. C. illinoensis) that has roughish bark and hard but brittle wood and is widely grown in the warmer parts of the United States and in Mexico for its edible nut 2 : the wood of the pecan tree 3 : the smooth oblong thin-shelled nut of the pecan tree