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

Their acorns are also a favorite food of woodpeckers and jays, and their large branches and cavities provide birds with shelter and nesting sites. —Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Aug. 2024

Look for pine cones, acorns, and other common outdoor items and tally who found the most pieces. —Amanda Rock, Parents, 30 July 2024

The center accepts both monetary and item donations, including earthworms, maple seeds, pine cones, nuts, acorns, berries and small tree branches. —Angelika Ytuarte, Journal Sentinel, 22 July 2024

An indigenous breed of pig, these hardy animals are free range and spend their lives outdoors, foraging for their meals—a combination of grass and acorns (bellotas) produced by the various oaks. —Sofia Perez, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 July 2024

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