hickory

noun

hick·​o·​ry ˈhi-k(ə-)rē 

plural hickories

1

a

: any of a genus (Carya) of North American hardwood trees of the walnut family that often have sweet edible nuts

b

: the usually tough wood of a hickory

2

: a switch or cane (as of hickory wood) used especially for punishing a child

hickory adjective

Examples of hickory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The caves are easily the Meramec Valley’s biggest draw, but in the fall, half of the appeal is found above the surface of the Earth, when Missouri’s maples, ashes, hickories, and oaks start to change colors. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2025

In areas that once boasted generations of oak and hickory trees, beech and maple now make up large portions of the midstory. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025

The easiest way to do this is to assess whether your kitchen cabinets are warm (with red, yellow, or orange undertones), like cherry, oak, hickory, and pine; or cool (with gray undertones), like white oak, ash, maple, or birch cabinetry. —Monika Biegler Eyers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2025

Mesquite is stronger and sweeter than hickory. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

short for obsolete pokahickory, from Virginia Algonquian pawcohiccora food prepared from pounded nuts

First Known Use

1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hickory

• shagbark hickory

Rhymes for hickory

• trickery

Kids Definition

hickory

noun

hick·​o·​ry ˈhik-(ə-)rē 

plural hickories

1

: any of a genus of North American trees related to the walnut and having an edible nut with a hard shell

2

: the usually tough pale wood of a hickory

Geographical Definition

Hickory

geographical name

Hick·​o·​ry ˈhi-kə-rē 

city in west central North Carolina population 40,010