acorn

noun

ˈā-ˌkȯrn  -kərn 

: the nut of the oak usually seated in or surrounded by a hard woody cupule of indurated bracts

Illustration of acorn

Examples of acorn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But other winter squash like acorn or red kuri can stand in as desired. — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026

Keep an eye on the acorns underfoot, the wildlife in your yard, and the sky overhead, and see which bits of weather lore seem to hold true this year. — Tricia Goss, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2026

In New England, the first act was to steal our corn and acorns and beans in 1620 and to torch our villages with men, women, and children inside and to sell the survivors into slavery. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

In a kind of treasure hunt, Crouch gathers all the acorns on private lands. — Jessie Schiewe, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English akorn, akkorn (partially assimilated to corn "kernel, corn entry 1"), hakerne, accherne, accharne, going back to Old English æcern, going back to Germanic *akrana- (whence also Middle High German ackeran "tree nuts," Old Norse akarn, Gothic akran "fruit, produce"); akin to Old Irish írne "sloe, kernel," Welsh eirin "plums, sloes," aeron "fruits, berries," going back to Celtic *agrinyo-, *agranyo-; perhaps further akin to a Balto-Slavic word with an initial long vowel (Old Church Slavic agoda "fruit," Polish jagoda "berry," Lithuanian úoga)

Note: Taken to be a derivative of Indo-European *h₂eǵros "uncultivated field, pasture" (see acre), though this would seem to exclude the Balto-Slavic etymon, which lacks the suffix, from consideration. It is also not clear if fields, uncultivated or not, are the source of wild tree nuts.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing acorn

• acorn squash
• acorn woodpecker
• acorn worm

Kids Definition

acorn

noun

ˈā-ˌkȯrn  -kərn 

: the roundish one-seeded thin-shelled nut of an oak tree usually having a woody cap