| filbert | 1. <botany> The fruit of the Corylus Avellana or hazel. It is an oval nut, containing a kernel that has a mild, farinaceous, oily taste, agreeable to the palate. In England filberts are usually large hazelnuts, especially the nuts from selected and cultivated trees. The American hazelnuts are of two other species. 2. <zoology> Filbert gall, a gall resembling a filbert in form, growing in clusters on grapevines. It is produced by the larva of a gallfly (Cecidomyia). Origin: Perh. Fr. Fill + bread, as filling the bread or husk; cf. G. Bartnuss (lit, bread nut) filbert; or perh. Named from a St.Philibert, whose day, Aug. 22, fell in the nutting season. (10 Mar 1998) |
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