Nut
/nʌt/noun
A hard-shelled fruit or seed with an edible kernel; also, in slang, a small metal fastener.
Did you know?The English word comes from a very old Germanic root that also gave us words for the same object in several other languages, showing how ancient and stable this everyday name really is.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kneu-
“To knot, tie, or fasten”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hnuts
“Nut; hard-shelled seed”
Old English
OE
hnutu
“Nut, kernel in a shell”
Middle English
English
nutte
“Nut, especially an edible one”
Modern English
English
nut
“A hard-shelled fruit or seed; also a fastening piece or slang term”