chestnut

noun chest·nut \ ˈches(t)-(ˌ)nət \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 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

The chestnut colt with a pronounced white blaze won on slop at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness; even on a faster track on a clear day at Belmont, his opponents couldn’t outrun him.

— sean gregory/elmont, Time, "Justify Wins the 13th Triple Crown in Horse Racing History," 9 June 2018
The chestnut colt with the blaze running down his face appears to have rebounded well after victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, with the most exhausting still to come.

— beth harris, Houston Chronicle, "Justify ready for run at Triple Crown history in Belmont," 9 June 2018
The chestnut colt burst onto the national scene with a 2½-length victory on a sloppy track in the Derby.

— CBS News, "Justify captures Triple Crown, wins 150th Belmont Stakes," 9 June 2018
The chestnut colt won the Kentucky Derby decisively, then won the Preakness after fending of some late challengers in sloppy conditions.

— nora princiotti, BostonGlobe.com, "Bob Baffert is hoping for a good break for Justify in the Belmont Stakes," 6 June 2018
Hazel eyes and chestnut hair and quick-to-tan skin.

— david gilbert, The New Yorker, "Fungus," 4 June 2017
Veronica Miele Beard is perched on a couch in her Manhattan office, her long chestnut hair in soft, polished waves, her eyebrows perfectly arched, her toes freshly pedicured, her lips painted a bright coral red and her clothes wrinkle-free.

— olivia fleming, Harper's BAZAAR, "Inside the Fashionable Lives of New York's Power Moms," 1 Dec. 2016
Baffert loves this picture of a racehorse, this massive chestnut with incredible speed.

— dick jerardi, Philly.com, "After Preakness, will Justify be at his best for Triple Crown bid? | Dick Jerardi," 20 May 2018
Nicholas Hoel is the heir to a family art project—several generations committed to photographing, once a month, the growth of a chestnut tree—that has instilled in him an awed appreciation of human transience.

— nathaniel rich, The Atlantic, "The Novel That Asks, ‘What Went Wrong With Mankind?’," 11 May 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