Word Study
chestnut
CIDE DICTIONARY
chestnut, n. [For chesten-nut; OE. chestein, chesten, chastein, chestnut, fr. AS. cisten in cistenbeám chestnut tree, influenced by OF. chastaigne, F. châtaigne, both the AS. and the F. words coming from L. castanea a chestnut, Gr. , fr. a city of Pontus, where chestnut trees grew in abundance, and whence they were introduced into Europe. Cf. Castanets.].
- The edible nut of a forest tree (
Castanea vesce ) of Europe and America. Commonly two or more of the nuts grow in a prickly bur. [1913 Webster] - The tree itself, or its light, coarse-grained timber, used for ornamental work, furniture, etc. [1913 Webster]
- A bright brown color, like that of the nut. [1913 Webster]
- The horse chestnut (often so used in England). [1913 Webster]
- One of the round, or oval, horny plates on the inner sides of the legs of the horse, and allied animals. [1913 Webster]
- An old joke or story. [1913 Webster]
chestnut, a.
Of or pertaining of a chestnut; of a reddish brown color; as, chestnut curls. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
chestnut, n. & adj.
--n.
1 a a glossy hard brown edible nut. b the tree Castanea sativa, bearing flowers in catkins and nuts enclosed in a spiny fruit. Also called Spanish chestnut or sweet chestnut.
2 any other tree of the genus Castanea.
3 = horse chestnut.
4 (in full chestnut-wood) the heavy wood of any chestnut tree.
5 a horse of a reddish-brown or yellowish-brown colour.
6 colloq. a stale joke or anecdote.
7 a small hard patch on a horse's leg.
8 a reddish-brown colour.
--adj. of the colour chestnut.
--n.
1 a a glossy hard brown edible nut. b the tree Castanea sativa, bearing flowers in catkins and nuts enclosed in a spiny fruit. Also called Spanish chestnut or sweet chestnut.
2 any other tree of the genus Castanea.
3 = horse chestnut.
4 (in full chestnut-wood) the heavy wood of any chestnut tree.
5 a horse of a reddish-brown or yellowish-brown colour.
6 colloq. a stale joke or anecdote.
7 a small hard patch on a horse's leg.
8 a reddish-brown colour.
--adj. of the colour chestnut.
Idiom
liver chestnut a dark kind of chestnut horse.
Etymology
obs. chesten f. OF chastaine f. L castanea f. Gk kastanea
THESAURUS
chestnut
Joe Miller, Titian, adust, auburn, banality, bay, bay-colored, bayard, brazen, bromide, bronze, bronze-colored, bronzed, brownish-red, buckskin, calico pony, carroty, castaneous, chestnut-brown, cliche, commonplace, commonplace expression, copper, copper-colored, coppery, corn, cupreous, dapple-gray, dun, erythristic, familiar tune, ferruginous, foxy, gray, grizzle, hackneyed saying, henna, joke with whiskers, lieu commun, liver-brown, liver-colored, livid-brown, locus communis, mahogany, old joke, old saw, old song, old story, old turkey, old wheeze, paint, painted pony, piebald, pinto, platitude, prosaicism, prosaism, prose, red-crested, red-haired, red-polled, red-tufted, reddish-brown, reiteration, retold story, roan, rubiginous, rufous, russet, russety, rust, rust-colored, rusty, skewbald, sorrel, stereotyped saying, sunburned, terra-cotta, trite joke, trite saying, triticism, twice-told tale, warmed-over cabbage, xanthousROGET THESAURUS
chestnut
Brown
N brown, bister ocher, sepia, Vandyke brown, brown, bay, dapple, auburn, castaneous, chestnut, nut-brown, cinnamon, russet, tawny, fuscous, chocolate, maroon, foxy, tan, brunette, whitey brown, fawn-colored, snuff-colored, liver-colored, brown as a berry, brown as mahogany, brown as the oak leaves, khaki, sun-burnt, tanned.News
N news, information, piece of news, budget of news, budget of information, intelligence, tidings, word, advice, aviso, message, dispatch, despatch, telegram, cable, marconigram, wire, communication, errand, embassy, report, rumor, hearsay, on dit, flying rumor, news stirring, cry, buzz, bruit, fame, talk, oui dire, scandal, eavesdropping, town tattle, table talk, tittle tattle, canard, topic of the day, idea afloat, bulletin, fresh news, stirring news, glad tidings, flash, news just in, on-the-spot coverage, live coverage, old story, old news, stale news, stale story, chestnut, narrator, newsmonger, scandalmonger, talebearer, telltale, gossip, tattler, journalism, media, news media, the press, the information industry, newspaper, magazine, tract, journal, gazette, publication, radio, television, ticker (electronic information transmission), United Press International, UPI, Associated Press, AP, The Dow Jones News Service, DJ, The New York Times News Service, NYT, Reuters, TASS, The Nikkei, newscaster, newsman, newswoman, reporter, journalist, correspondent, foreign correspondent, special correspondent, war correspondent, news team, news department, anchorman, anchorwoman, sportscaster, weatherman, press secretary, public relations department, public relations man, many-tongued, rumored, publicly rumored, currently rumored, currently reported, rife, current, floating, afloat, going about, in circulation, in every one's mouth, all over the town, in progress, live, on the spot, in person, as the story goes, as the story runs, as they say, it is said, by telegraph, by wireless, airy tongues that syllable men's names, what's up?, what's the latest?, what's new?, what's the latest poop?.For further exploring for "chestnut" in Webster Dictionary Online
