a leguminous plant, Arachis hypogaea, of tropical America: widely cultivated for its edible seeds. The seed pods are forced underground where they ripen
See also hog peanut
b. Also called: goober, goober pea or (Brit) groundnut or (Brit) monkey nut
the edible nutlike seed of this plant, used for food and as a source of oil
monkey nut in American English
noun
slang
a peanut
Word origin
[1875–80]This word is first recorded in the period 1875–80. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Diaspora, graph, knockabout, overdraft, weekender