Acorn
/ˈeɪ.kɔːrn/noun
The nut of an oak tree.
Did you know?The word comes from Old English *æcern*, and for centuries it could mean any fruit or seed of the earth, not just the oak’s nut.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ek-
“sharp, pointed”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*akraz
“field, cultivated land”
Old English
OE
æcern
“fruit of the earth; acorn, nut, grain”
Middle English
ME
acorn
“acorn; oak nut”
Modern English
English
acorn
“the nut of an oak tree”