plural peanuts
Definition of peanut
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a low-branching widely cultivated annual herb (Arachis hypogaea) of the legume family with showy yellow flowers having a peduncle which elongates and bends into the soil where the ovary ripens into a pod containing one to three oily edible seeds
also
: its seed or seed-containing pod
2
: an insignificant or tiny person
3
peanuts plural
: a trifling amount
4
: a pellet made of a low-density lightweight material (such as polystyrene foam or corn starch) that is used especially as packing material
— usually plural It's all part of the company's mission to be more sustainable. When your paint shows up at your door, you won't find it loaded with polystyrene peanuts.— Nicole ConwayIn the 1800s the acorns were used for packing (like Styrofoam peanuts) and ships would dump them overboard and they'd wash up on shore.— Rich EldredWhenever you get plants in the mail, or other fragile things, they come packed with these foam peanuts.— Peter HottonThe bill would also ban the sale of polystyrene loose fill packaging, or packing peanuts.— Samantha Maldonado
peanut
adjectiveDefinition of peanut (Entry 2 of 2)
: insignificant, petty
peanut politics
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for peanut
The first known use of peanut was in 1802
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