ivory nut


noun
  1. the seed of a low, South American palm, Phytelephas macrocarpa, yielding vegetable ivory.

  2. a similar seed from other palms.

Origin of ivory nut

1
First recorded in 1915–20

Words Nearby ivory nut

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

How to use ivory nut in a sentence

  • The price of ivory-nut waste was high, because of the use of this material in the manufacture of lactic acid.

  • A curious article of exportation is the ivory nut, or tagua, which in value now comes next after bananas.

    The Panama Canal | J. Saxon Mills

British Dictionary definitions for ivory nut

ivory nut

noun
  1. the seed of the ivory palm, which contains an ivory-like substance used to make buttons, etc

  2. any similar seed from other palms

  • Former name (1871–1932): vegetable ivory

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