piñon

noun pi·ñon \ ˈpin-ˌyōn , -ˌyän , -yən ; pin-ˈyōn \

variants: or pinyon

Definition of piñon

plural piñons or pinyons or piñones play \pin-ˈyō-nēz\

: any of various small pines (such as Pinus quadrifolia, P. cembroides, P. edulis, and P. monophylla) of western North America with edible seeds; also : the edible seed of a piñon

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Recent Examples of piñon from the Web

Flames were devouring pinon-juniper forests and sagebrush steppe that is home to the imperiled sage grouse.

— bruce finley, The Denver Post, "Lightning-sparked wildfires in northwest Colorado force shutdown of oil industry facilities," 11 June 2017

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