chestnut

chestnut
chestnut 1560s, from chesten nut (1510s), from M.E. chasteine, from O.Fr. chastain (12c., Mod.Fr. chátaigne), from L. castanea "chestnut, chestnut tree," from Gk. kastaneia, which the Greeks thought meant either "nut from Castanea" in Pontus, or "nut from Castana" in Thessaly, but probably both places are named for the trees, not the other way around, and the word is probably borrowed from a language of Asia Minor (Cf. Armenian kask "chestnut," kaskeni "chestnut tree"). Of the dark reddish-brown color, 1650s. Applied to the horse-chestnut 1832. Slang sense of "venerable joke or story" is from 1886, probably from a joke (first recorded 1888) based on an oft-repeated story in which a chestnut tree figures. The key part of the 1888 citation is:
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"When suddenly from the thick boughs of a cork-tree --"

"A chestnut, Captain; a chestnut."
"Bah! booby, I say a cork-tree!"
"A chestnut," reiterates Pablo. "I should know as well as you, having heard you tell the tale these twenty-seven times."


Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Chestnut — Chest nut, n. [For chesten nut; OE. chestein, chesten, chastein, chestnut, fr. AS. cisten in cistenbe[ a]m chestnut tree, influenced by OF. chastaigne, F. ch[^a]taigne, both the AS. and the F. words coming from L. castanea a chestnut, Gr. ?, fr.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chestnut — ► NOUN 1) a glossy hard brown nut which develops within a bristly case and can be roasted and eaten. 2) (also sweet chestnut or Spanish chestnut) the large tree that produces these nuts. 3) a deep reddish brown colour. 4) a horse of a reddish… …   English terms dictionary

  • Chestnut — Chest nut, a. Of or pertaining of a chestnut; of a reddish brown color; as, chestnut curls. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chestnut — [ches′nut΄, chest′nut΄] n. [< chesten nut < ME chesteine < OFr chastaigne < L castanea < Gr kastaneia] 1. the smooth shelled, sweet, edible nut of any of a genus (Castanea) of trees of the beech family 2. the tree that it grows on… …   English World dictionary

  • Chestnut — For other uses of chestnut , see Chestnut (disambiguation). For other uses of chinquapin or chinkapin , see Chinquapin (disambiguation). Chestnut Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa Scientific clas …   Wikipedia

  • chestnut — chestnutty, adj. /ches nut , neuht/, n. 1. any of the several deciduous trees constituting the genus Castanea, of the beech family, having toothed, oblong leaves and bearing edible nuts enclosed in a prickly bur, and including C. dentata… …   Universalium

  • chestnut — [[t]tʃe̱snʌt[/t]] chestnuts 1) N COUNT A chestnut or chestnut tree is a tall tree with broad leaves. → See also horse chestnut 2) N COUNT Chestnuts are the reddish brown nuts that grow on chestnut trees. You can eat chestnuts. 3) COLOUR Something …   English dictionary

  • chestnut — chest|nut [ tʃes,nʌt ] noun 1. ) count a large smooth red brown nut that you can eat: roast chestnuts chestnut stuffing 2. ) chestnut or chestnut tree count a tall tree with large wide leaves that produces chestnuts a ) uncount the wood of a… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • chestnut — /ˈtʃɛsnʌt / (say chesnut) noun 1. the edible nut of trees of the genus Castanea, of the beech family. 2. any of the trees, as C. sativa (Spanish chestnut), C. dentata (American chestnut), or C. crenata (Japanese chestnut). 3. Obsolete → Moreton… …  

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