peanut

/ˈpinət/

/ˈpinət/

Other forms: peanuts

A peanut is a plant that grows pods containing seeds that are also known as peanuts. You may think of peanuts as nuts, but they're actually legumes.

Despite the deceptive name peanut, this plant is more closely related to peas than it is to almonds and hazelnuts. Peanuts are an important food crop around the world, in the form of oil, flour, peanut butter, and roasted, whole peanuts. Peanuts were originally called "ground nuts," and despite their popularity, they're also known for being inexpensive — thus peanuts also informally means "a very small amount of money."

Definitions of peanut

1. noun

   widely cultivated American plant cultivated in tropical and warm regions; showy yellow flowers on stalks that bend over to the soil so that seed pods ripen underground
   synonyms: Arachis hypogaea, peanut vine

   type of:

   legume, leguminous plant

   an erect or climbing bean or pea plant of the family Leguminosae
2. noun

   underground pod of the peanut vine
   type of:

   pod, seedpod

   a several-seeded dehiscent fruit as e.g. of a leguminous plant
3. noun

   pod of the peanut vine containing usually 2 nuts or seeds; `groundnut' and `monkey nut' are British terms
   synonyms: earthnut, goober, goober pea, groundnut, monkey nut

   type of:

   edible nut

   a hard-shelled seed consisting of an edible kernel or meat enclosed in a woody or leathery shell
4. noun

   a young child who is small for his age
   type of:

   child, fry, kid, minor, nestling, nipper, shaver, small fry, tiddler, tike, tyke, youngster

   a young person of either sex
5. adjective

   of little importance or influence or power; of minor status
   “peanut politicians”

   synonyms: insignificant

   minor

   of lesser importance or stature or rank