chestnut

noun

chest·nut | \ ˈches(t)-(ˌ)nət

Definition of chestnut

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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 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

6a : an old joke or story

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

chestnut

adjective

Definition of chestnut (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : of the color chestnut

2 : of, relating to, or resembling a chestnut

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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

Before tucking into the slow-roasted turkey with apple-chestnut stuffing and mashed sweet potatoes with brown butter, swing for pumpkin risotto with pancetta; and later, for the dolce, an olive oil and dried fruit cake with crème fraîche gelato. — Marley Marius, Vogue, "Where to Dine Out for a Traditional-ish Thanksgiving Meal in New York City," 14 Nov. 2018 For the rice: Combine the rice, chestnuts, apricots, nuts, lemon juice, sage, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika in a large bowl, stirring until thoroughly incorporated. — Joe Yonan, The Seattle Times, "Vegetarian (or vegan) guests for Thanksgiving? Serve them this beauty," 13 Nov. 2018 Gaja was among the first to use that method in Piedmont, where huge chestnut vats called botti had been used for centuries. — Jay Mcinerney, Town & Country, "How a wine making dynasty challenged the old ways in order to save itself.," 11 Oct. 2016 Emilia Clarke just hit the Academy Awards red carpet in a brand new (yet familiar) beauty look—a short and sleek chestnut brown bob. — Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, "Emilia Clarke Just Debuted A New Hair Color on the Oscars Red Carpet," 24 Feb. 2019 But Fonnesbeck, a 36-year-old Utah native with a creamy complexion and a chestnut bob, was plagued by fatigue and headaches. — Jancee Dunn, Vogue, "Is Othorexia the Eating Disorder for the Digital Age?," 14 Dec. 2018 In the past, her hair color has been golden brown, or rich chestnut, or sun-kissed with natural highlights — but as of yesterday, there's a whole new Joey in town. — Leah Prinzivalli, Teen Vogue, "Joey King Has Gone Blonde," 27 Aug. 2018 Roasted over coals and piled into paper cones, a stack of chestnuts goes for about five euro. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "A Culture Editor's Impulse Buys: $200 of Potions, Swedish Sweets, and More," 7 Jan. 2019 Roasting removes the shell and richens the flavor of chestnuts. — House Beautiful, "Laura Pensiero's Roasted Maple Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Chestnuts," 30 Sep. 2012

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.

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Dictionary Entries near chestnut

chestnut-backed chickadee

chestnut bean

chestnut blight

Statistics for chestnut

Last Updated

17 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for chestnut

The first known use of chestnut was in 1519

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More Definitions for chestnut

chestnut

noun

English Language Learners Definition of chestnut

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

English Language Learners Definition of chestnut (Entry 2 of 2)

: of a reddish-brown color

See the full definition for chestnut in the English Language Learners Dictionary

chestnut

noun

chest·nut | \ ˈches-ˌnət

Kids Definition of chestnut

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

2 : a reddish brown

chestnut

noun

chest·nut | \ ˈches-(ˌ)nət

Medical Definition of chestnut

1a : 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