hickory Hear it!

hickory definition

☆ hicko·ry (hik′ə rē, hik′rē)

noun pl. hickories -·ries

  1. any of a genus (Carya) of North American trees of the walnut family, with compound leaves, solid pith, and hard nuts
  2. the hard, tough wood of any of these trees
  3. a switch or cane as of this wood
  4. the nut of any of these trees
    usually hickory nut

Etymology: contr. < 17th-c. pohickery (Virginian term) < AmInd term recorded by Captain John Smith as pawcohiccora, product made from crushed kernels of the nut

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.