butternut

[ buht-er-nuht ]

noun
  1. Also called white walnut. the edible oily nut of an American tree, Juglans cinerea, of the walnut family.

  2. the tree itself.

  1. the light-brown wood of this tree, used for making furniture.

  2. the light-brown color resulting from a dye made from this tree.

  3. U.S. History. a Confederate soldier or partisan, especially one whose uniform was dyed with an extract from this tree.

Origin of butternut

1
An Americanism dating back to 1735–45; so called from the nut's oiliness

Words Nearby butternut

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use butternut in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for butternut

butternut

/ (ˈbʌtəˌnʌt) /


noun
  1. a walnut tree, Juglans cinerea of E North America: Compare black walnut

  2. the oily edible egg-shaped nut of this tree

  1. the hard brownish-grey wood of this tree

  2. the bark of this tree or an extract from it, formerly used as a laxative

  3. a brownish colour or dye

  4. NZ short for butternut pumpkin

  • Also called (for senses 1–4): white walnut

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012