hickory

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   any of several North American hardwood trees of the genus Carya, many of which bear edible nuts

   A mature hickory shaded the edge of the field and dropped nuts each autumn.

2. 2
   noun

   the tough, heavy, and flexible wood of a hickory tree

   The carpenter chose hickory for the axe handle because it absorbs heavy blows.

3. 3
   noun

   a coarse, durable cotton fabric traditionally used for work clothes

   The railway worker wore a striped hickory shirt beneath his jacket.

An American English shortening of earlier pohickory and pockerchicory, borrowed from Powhatan pawcohiccora or a related form. The Powhatan word referred to a milky food or drink made from pounded hickory nuts; English speakers transferred the name to the nut-bearing tree and its wood.

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