chestnut

noun chest·nut \ ˈches(t)-(ˌ)nət \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Definition of chestnut

1 a : any of a genus (Castanea) of trees or shrubs of the beech family; especially : an American tree (C. dentata) that was formerly a dominant or codominant member of many deciduous forests of the eastern U.S. but has now been largely eliminated by the chestnut blight and seldom grows beyond the shrub or sapling stage

b : the edible 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 ²bay 1, ¹sorrel 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

See chestnut defined for English-language learners

See chestnut defined for kids

Examples of chestnut in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of chestnut from the Web

Forty years to the day after another big chestnut, Secretariat, swept the Belmont by an astonishing 31 lengths, Justify made his own brand of history, as did the humans who nurtured his remarkable gifts.

— childs walker, baltimoresun.com, "Justify becomes 13th Triple Crown winner with thrilling Belmont victory," 9 June 2018
Visits to my father's office in Manhattan would yield trips to Wienerwald for foreign sausages steamed with sauerkraut; salty pretzels and charred roast chestnuts from street carts; the mysterious joys of the dirty-water hot dog.

— anthony bourdain, Bon Appetit, "How Anthony Bourdain Came to Be Anthony Bourdain," 8 June 2018
Add challah, chestnuts, fruit, poultry seasoning, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste.

— Country Living, "Challah Stuffing with Chestnuts and Dried Fruit," 28 Sep. 2010
The government is introducing legislation to encourage the planting of more slow-growing native species, such as cork trees, holm oaks, or chestnut trees, which are more resilient to flames and can slow the advance of wildfires.

— barry hatton, The Christian Science Monitor, "Portugal races to protect its citizens against wildfires – with goats," 13 June 2018
The three-year-old chestnut colt became the 13th horse ever to win the Triple Crown of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes after a dominant victory at Belmont Park in New York Saturday.

— bianca britton, CNN, "Justify's value skyrockets to $60M with Triple Crown win at Belmont Park," 11 June 2018
Meet the new wave of Ugg boots: the Kasen, which come in chestnut and black colorways as well as short and tall styles.

— lauren alexis fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "The New Ugg Boots Are Here And They're Anything But Basic," 6 Dec. 2017
The Belmont Stakes provided a coronation for Justify, as well as another massive accomplishment for Bob Baffert, the elite trainer who can take credit for his second Triple Crown in four years when the chestnut horse won Saturday.

— des bieler, chicagotribune.com, "Did Justify get undue help from another Bob Baffert horse in winning at Belmont?," 10 June 2018
There was a toasty flavor in the dough, and its texture was equal parts airy and crusty, with a deep chestnut color and sturdy enough to support the cheese and sauce above it.

— alex delany, Bon Appetit, "What’s the Best New York Slice? I Ate at 30 Pizza Joints to Find Out," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chestnut.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of chestnut

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1519

in the meaning defined at sense 1b

See Words from the same year

chestnut Synonyms

Synonyms

banality, bromide, cliché (also cliche), commonplace, groaner, homily, platitude, shibboleth, truism;

Near Antonyms

profundity;

inanity;

generality, generalization, simplification;

adage, proverb, saw, saying;

old wives' tale, stereotype;

Other Seed Plant Terms

aubergine, box, bramble, briar, composite, perpetual, pulse, trefoil

chestnut

adjective

Definition of chestnut

1 : of the color chestnut

2 : of, relating to, or resembling a chestnut

See chestnut defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of chestnut

1555

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Color Terms

argentine, cerise, cerulean, cyan, ocher, perse, puce, taupe, vermilion

CHESTNUT Defined for English Language Learners

chestnut

noun

Definition of chestnut for English Language Learners

: a type of tree that produces large, sweet nuts that can be eaten
: the nut of a chestnut tree
: the wood of a chestnut tree

chestnut

adjective

Definition of chestnut for English Language Learners

: of a reddish-brown color

CHESTNUT Defined for Kids

chestnut

noun chest·nut \ ˈches-ˌnət \

Definition of chestnut for Students

1 : a sweet edible nut that grows in burs on a tree related to the beech

2 : a reddish brown

Medical Dictionary

chestnut

noun chest·nut \ ˈches-(ˌ)nət \

medical Definition of chestnut

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