| hickory | <botany> An American tree of the genus Carya, of which there are several species. The shagbark is the C. Alba, and has a very rough bark; it affords the hickory nut of the markets. The pignut, or brown hickory, is the C. Glabra. The swamp hickory is C. Amara, having a nut whose shell is very thin and the kernel bitter. Hickory shad. <zoology> The mattowacca, or fall herring. The gizzard shad. Origin: North American Indian pawcohiccora (Capt. J. Smith) a kind of milk or oily liquor pressed from pounded hickory nuts. "Pohickory" is named in a list of Virginia trees, in 1653, and this was finally shortened to "hickory.". Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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