noun
- the dry, one-seeded fruit of any of various trees or shrubs, consisting of a kernel, often edible, in a hard and woody or tough and leathery shell, more or less separable from the seed itself, as the walnut, pecan, chestnut, acorn, etc.
- the kernel, or meat, of such a fruit
- loosely any hard-shell fruit that will keep more or less indefinitely, as a peanut, almond, etc.
- a small block, usually of metal, with a threaded hole through the center, for screwing onto a bolt, screw, etc.
- a ridge of ebony or other hard material at the top of the fingerboard of a stringed instrument, over which the strings pass
- the small knob at the end of a violin bow, for tightening or loosening the hairs
- Informal the initial cost of an undertaking, or the amount of money it is necessary to take in before a profit is realized on it
- Slang
- the head
- the testicles: a vulgar usage
- Slang
- a foolish, crazy, or eccentric person
- a devotee; fan
- Printing en (sense )
Origin:
ME nutte < OE hnutu, akin to Ger nuss < IE *kneu-, lump, nut (< base *ken-, to squeeze together) > L nux, MIr cnū
intransitive verb nutted, nutting
to hunt for or gather nuts