walnut

noun

wal·​nut ˈwȯl-(ˌ)nət 

1

a

: the furrowed nut of any of a genus (Juglans of the family Juglandaceae, the walnut family) of deciduous trees

especially : the large edible nut of an English walnut

b

: a tree that bears walnuts

c

: the wood of a walnut that is often used for cabinetmaking and veneers

2

: a moderate reddish brown

Examples of walnut in a Sentence

The banana bread has walnuts in it.

The recipe calls for a cup of chopped walnuts.

a table made of walnut

Recent Examples on the Web

The palate exhibits cooked cereal/malt, tropical fruit, orange zest, bananas, walnuts, with hints of caramel and smoke. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025

An infant’s heart is about the size of a large walnut. —Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 10 May 2025

Add to butter mixture in large bowl, and stir until just combined; gently stir in walnuts. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 2 May 2025

Local specialities reared on these soils—a treasure trove of black Périgord truffles, pâtés, foie gras, walnuts, cheeses, cep mushrooms, and strawberries. —Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English walnot, from Old English wealhhnutu, literally, foreign nut, from Wealh Welshman, foreigner + hnutu nut — more at welsh, nut

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing walnut

• black walnut
• Circassian walnut
• English walnut
• white walnut

Rhymes for walnut

• abut
• catgut
• chesnut
• chestnut
• donut
• doughnut
• groundnut
• haircut
• hindgut
• midgut
• precut
• rebut

Kids Definition

walnut

noun

wal·​nut ˈwȯl-(ˌ)nət 

1

a

: an edible nut of any of a genus of trees related to the hickories

especially : the large nut of a Eurasian tree

b

: a tree that produces walnuts compare black walnut

c

: the usually reddish to dark brown wood of a walnut that is widely used for cabinetwork and veneers

2

: a medium reddish brown

Etymology

Old English wealhhnutu, literally "foreign nut," from Wealh "Welshman, foreigner" + hnutu "nut" — related to welsh

Word Origin

Long before walnut trees were introduced into England, they were cultivated for their tasty nuts in southern Europe. The nut tree native to the more northern areas of Europe was the hazel. In order to tell apart the native hazelnut and the less familiar walnut, Old English called the walnut wealhhnutu, which means "foreign nut." This word is a compound of wealh, "foreigner" and hnutu "nut." The Old English word wealh has supplied us with another word as well. While wealh meant "foreigner" in a general sense, it was applied specifically by the Anglo-Saxon invaders of Britain to the native people they found living on the island. Wealh gave rise to the modern forms Welsh, Welshman, and Welshwoman.

Geographical Definition

Walnut

geographical name

city east of Los Angeles in southwestern California population 29,172