chestnut

1 of 2

noun

chest·​nut ˈches(t)-(ˌ)nət 

plural chestnuts

1

a

: any of a small genus (Castanea) of deciduous trees or shrubs of the beech family that are found in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere and produce a small round fruit having a prickly outer husk and containing one to seven edible nuts

especially : a North American tree (C. dentata) that was formerly a dominant or codominant member of many deciduous forests of the eastern U.S. but was largely eliminated by chestnut blight in the 20th century and seldom grows beyond the shrub or sapling stage : american chestnut

b

: the nut of a chestnut

c

: the wood of a chestnut

2

: a grayish to reddish brown

3

: horse chestnut

4

: a chestnut-colored animal

specifically : a horse having a body color of any shade of pure or reddish brown with mane, tail, and points of the same or a lighter shade compare bay entry 2 sense 1, sorrel entry 1 sense 1

5

: a callosity on the inner side of the leg of the horse see horse illustration

6

a

: an old joke or story

b

: something (such as a musical piece or a saying) repeated to the point of staleness

chestnut

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of the color chestnut

2

: of, relating to, or resembling a chestnut

Synonyms

Noun

• banality
• bromide
• cliché
• cliche
• commonplace
• groaner
• homily
• platitude
• shibboleth
• trope
• truism

Examples of chestnut in a Sentence

Noun

an op-ed piece that's offers nothing but warmed-over chestnuts for solving the city's financial woes

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s that scene with the jujubes and chestnuts in the ceremony and people not knowing which one represents sons and daughters. —Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 18 Apr. 2025

My pocket guide said its fruits taste like chestnuts. —Dina Mishev Max Whittaker, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025

Adjective

Her hair, now a chestnut brown, was parted to the side and fell to her shoulders in bouncy curls. —Catherine Santino, People.com, 28 Apr. 2025

Maybe try a wig, like Billie Eilish’s strawberry blonde Halloween tribute to Jane Fonda, or one of Overtone’s shades designed for darker hair, like this new cherry chestnut color-depositing treatment mask. —Avery Stone, Allure, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English chasteine, chesten chestnut tree, from Anglo-French chastein, chestain, from Latin castanea, from Greek kastanea

First Known Use

Noun

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Adjective

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing chestnut

• American chestnut
• chestnut blight
• chestnut oak
• Chinese chestnut
• horse chestnut
• Spanish chestnut
• water chestnut

Rhymes for chestnut

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

Kids Definition

chestnut

1 of 2 noun

chest·​nut ˈches-(ˌ)nət 

1

a

: a sweet edible nut from any of several trees or shrubs related to the beeches

b

: a tree or shrub bearing chestnuts

especially : an American tree that was formerly common and grew to large size in eastern forests but has been largely wiped out by the chestnut blight and now grows only to the size of a shrub or sapling

c

: the wood of a chestnut tree

2

: horse chestnut

3

: a brown or reddish brown horse

chestnut

2 of 2 adjective

: of a reddish brown color

Medical Definition

chestnut

noun

chest·​nut ˈches-(ˌ)nət 

1

a

: a tree or shrub of the genus Castanea (C. dentata) that is found in eastern North America and the leaf of which was formerly used to prepare an infusion for the treatment of whooping cough

b

: the edible nut of a chestnut

2

: a callosity on the inner side of the leg of the horse