any of the several deciduous trees constituting the genus Castanea, of the beech family, having toothed, oblong leaves and bearing edible nuts enclosed in a prickly bur, and including C. dentata(American chestnut ), which has been virtually destroyed by the chestnut blight, C. sativa(European chestnut ),C. mollissima(Chinese chestnut ), and C. crenata(Japanese chestnut ).
the edible nut of such a tree.
the wood of any of these trees.
any fruit or tree resembling the chestnut, as the horse chestnut.
reddish brown.
an old or stale joke, anecdote, etc.
the callosity on the inner side of the leg of a horse.
a reddish-brown horse having the mane and tail of the same color.Compare bay5 (def. 2).
Also called liver chestnut. a horse of a solid, dark-brown color.
adjective
being reddish-brown in color.
(of food) containing or made with chestnuts: turkey with chestnut stuffing.
Idioms for chestnut
pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire, to rescue someone from a difficulty.
Origin of chestnut
1350–1400; 1880–85 for def. 6; earlier chesten nut,Middle English chesten,Old English cysten chestnut tree (<Latin castanea<Greek kastanéa) + nut
Chestnut downed 62 to prove he was hungrier for the win than the rest of the pack on July 4th.
The Week in Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|July 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Chestnut is one of the species that produces abundant callus very readily.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Forty-Second Annual Meeting|Northern Nut Growers Association
Alat, my chestnut, was very cheerful after his long rest, but the steep path soon tamed him.
Through the Land of the Serb|Mary Edith Durham
She gave her consent, however, to his leaving the pail on the porch and then retiring to the chestnut tree.
More Tish|Mary Roberts Rinehart
We mulched with about four inches and some animal got every chestnut out.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Forty-Second Annual Meeting|Northern Nut Growers Association
The leaves of the chestnut oak and those of the yellow oak resemble the leaves of the chestnut tree.
Woodcraft|Alan Douglas
British Dictionary definitions for chestnut
chestnut
/ (ˈtʃɛsˌnʌt) /
noun
any N temperate fagaceous tree of the genus Castanea, such as C. sativa (sweet or Spanish chestnut), which produce flowers in long catkins and nuts in a prickly burCompare horse chestnut, water chestnut, dwarf chestnut
the edible nut of any of these trees
the hard wood of any of these trees, used in making furniture, etc
a reddish-brown to brown colour
(as adjective)chestnut hair
a horse of a yellow-brown or golden-brown colour
a small horny callus on the inner surface of a horse's leg
informalan old or stale joke
Word Origin for chestnut
C16: from earlier chesten nut: chesten, from Old French chastaigne, from Latin castanea, from Greek kastanea