pecan

views updated May 23 2018

pe·can / pəˈkän; ˈpēˌkan/ • n. a smooth brown nut with an edible kernel similar to a walnut, obtained from the hickory tree Carya illinoensis, native to the southern US.ORIGIN: late 18th cent.: from French pacane, from Illinois (an American Indian language).

pecan

views updated May 21 2018

pecan North American nut tree whose nut, resembling a small, smooth-shelled walnut, is 70% fat. Family Juglandaceae; species Carya illinoinensis.

pecan

views updated May 29 2018

pecan See CARYA.

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