walnut

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun nut of any of various walnut trees having a wrinkled two-lobed seed with a hard shell
  2. noun hard dark-brown wood of any of various walnut trees; used especially for furniture and paneling
  3. noun any of various trees of the genus Juglans

Etymology

From Middle English walnote, walnutte, walnotte, from Old English wealhhnutu (“walnut”, literally “foreign nut”), from Proto-Germanic *walhaz (“foreigner”) + *hnuts (“nut”). Cognate with Dutch walnoot, German Walnuss, Swedish valnöt, Icelandic valhneta. Compare more recent term Welsh onion, which also uses Welsh to mean “foreign”.

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