acorn

/ˌeɪˈkɔrn/

/ˈeɪkɔn/

Other forms: acorns

The nut, or fruit, that grows on oak trees is called an acorn. Chicken Little thought the sky was falling when an acorn fell on his head. Don't make that same mistake.

Acorns are a distinctive nut that's often found on forest floors where oak trees grow. They are smooth and greenish, set in a rough brown base that's shaped like a little cup. The acorn is a seed, able to sprout roots if it falls in the right place, eventually growing into a new oak tree. Many animals eat acorns, some stockpiling the nuts for weeks. In Old English, æcern means "nut," from a Germanic origin.

Definitions of acorn

1. noun

   a nut that comes from an oak tree: a smooth thin-walled nut in a woody cup-shaped base
   type of:

   fruit

   the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant