hickory

noun

hick·​o·​ry ˈhi-k(ə-)rē 

plural hickories

1

a

: any of a genus (Carya) of North American hardwood trees of the walnut family that often have sweet edible nuts

b

: the usually tough wood of a hickory

2

: a switch or cane (as of hickory wood) used especially for punishing a child

hickory adjective

Examples of hickory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Turkey Legs sold at Disneyland are sourced, cured and pre-smoked by a company in Texas and then smoked in hickory for six more hours at the park. —Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026

The turnips, smoked over hickory, pair with black drum, persimmons, and pea tendrils, each bite a reminder of his farm’s proximity. —Carrie Honaker, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Apr. 2026

Google chose the hickory-proto open source Rust DNS library, which is not particularly optimized but has broad adoption and support. —Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026

Evidence of Hurricane Michael’s destruction in 2018 can still be seen in the fledgling sweetgum, magnolia, oak, and hickory trees sprouting with new growth. —Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

short for obsolete pokahickory, from Virginia Algonquian pawcohiccora food prepared from pounded nuts

First Known Use

1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hickory

• shagbark hickory

Rhymes for hickory

• trickery

Kids Definition

hickory

noun

hick·​o·​ry ˈhik-(ə-)rē 

plural hickories

1

: any of a genus of North American trees related to the walnut and having an edible nut with a hard shell

2

: the usually tough pale wood of a hickory

Geographical Definition

Hickory

geographical name

Hick·​o·​ry ˈhi-kə-rē 

city in west central North Carolina population 40,010