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horse chestnut Definition

horse chestnut

noun

  1. any of a genus (Aesculus) of shrubs and trees of the horse-chestnut family, including buckeyes; esp., a tree (A. hippocastanum) with large, palmately compound leaves, clusters of white flowers, and glossy, brown seeds
  2. a seed of this tree

horse-chestnut Definition

horse-chestnut (hôrs′c̸hes′nut)

adjective

designating a family (Hippocastanaceae, order Sapindales) of dicotyledonous trees, including the horse chestnuts

Etymology: transl. of obs. botanical L Castanea equina: reason for name uncert.

horse chestnut Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • collect: Nobody really knew why they were collecting horse chestnuts.
  • include: Other trees including the horse chestnut and sycamore already have well-developed leaves.
  • rot: Collection was restricted by transport difficulties and letters in The Times tell of piles of rotting horse chestnuts at railroad stations.
  • do: How did horse chestnuts help the war effort during the First World War?

Adjective modifier

  • common: It grows into a smaller tree than our common horse chestnut and has darker foliage.
  • red: Another commonly planted tree is Aesculus x carnea, red horse chestnut, and as the name implies has red flowers rather than white.

Modifies a noun

  • tree: A grove of horse chestnut trees may become an asset too valuable for small boys to plunder!
  • extract: Horse chestnut seed extract can alleviate the symptoms of varicose veins.
  • seed: Horse chestnut seed extract can alleviate the symptoms of varicose veins.
  • flower: Exploring horse chestnut flowers " The Century of Genetics " a Special Event at the Centenary ASE Annual Meeting Spotlight on plants.