chestnut

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A glossy brown nut with a pointed top and a hard shell, which can be eaten, especially roasted.

   Grammar: Countable: one chestnut, two chestnuts. Also used as a mass noun when referring to the edible part: 'a soup made with chestnut'.

   Patterns

   • roast chestnuts
   • a chestnut tree

   In winter, street vendors sell hot roasted chestnuts.

   She gathered chestnuts in the woods and took them home to cook.

   The recipe calls for chopped chestnuts and mushrooms.

2. 2nouncountable

   The large tree that produces chestnuts, often planted in parks and streets.

   Grammar: Countable: a chestnut, several chestnuts. Often used before another noun: 'a chestnut tree'.

   Patterns

   • a chestnut tree
   • plant a chestnut

   The old chestnut in the park provides shade in summer.

   They planted a chestnut in their garden last year.

   The chestnut's leaves turn yellow in autumn.

3. 3noununcountable

   A reddish-brown color, like that of a chestnut.

   Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the color: 'chestnut is her favorite color'.

   Patterns

   • chestnut hair
   • chestnut brown

   She has beautiful chestnut hair.

   The horse's coat is a rich chestnut.

   He painted the door a deep chestnut.

4. 4nouncountableinformal

   A joke, story, or idea that has been repeated so often that it is no longer funny or interesting.

   Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'old chestnut'.

   Patterns

   • an old chestnut
   • that's a bit of a chestnut

   His speech was full of old chestnuts about the good old days.

   The joke about the chicken crossing the road is an old chestnut.

   I'm tired of hearing that same political chestnut.

Word forms

Common combinations

roasted chestnuts

Roasted chestnuts are a popular winter treat.

chestnut tree

The chestnut tree in our yard is over a hundred years old.

chestnut hair

Her chestnut hair shone in the sunlight.

old chestnut

That story is an old chestnut; everyone has heard it.

chestnut brown

The furniture was a warm chestnut brown.

Synonyms and how they differ

brown

Brown is a general color term; chestnut is a specific reddish-brown shade.

joke

A joke is any funny story; a chestnut is a joke that has become stale through overuse.

Word family

chestnut adjective

Having the reddish-brown color of a chestnut.

Commonly confused: chestnut or Chestnut?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “chestnut”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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