hickory

hickory — noun

1. A type of tree native mainly to the eastern United States and parts of eastern A

1.nounB2
Definition

A type of tree native mainly to the eastern United States and parts of eastern Asia, producing sweet nuts that people can eat and a very hard, tough wood. The word is also used for the wood obtained from this tree, which is valued for making furniture, tool handles, and for smoking meat.

Example

The hickory in our backyard dropped dozens of nuts last fall.

countable: a single hickory tree

Lara's kitchen cabinets are made of solid hickory.

uncountable: hickory as material

Common collocations
  • hickory tree
  • hickory wood
  • hickory nuts
  • hickory chips
  • hickory smoke
  • hickory handle
  • hickory cabinet
  • solid hickory
  • a piece of hickory
Synonyms
  • pecan

    a closely related tree in the same genus (Carya), also producing sweet edible nuts

  • walnut

    a different genus in the same family (Juglandaceae), with a milder-tasting wood and larger nuts

  • hardwood

    a broad category of dense wood from deciduous trees; hickory is one specific type of hardwood

Antonyms
  • softwood

    wood from coniferous trees (e.g. pine, fir), which is lighter and less dense than hickory

Grammar Patterns

a + hickory (countable — a single tree)

some + hickory (uncountable — the material)

Usage Note

Hickory is countable when it refers to a single tree (a hickory / two hickories), but uncountable when it refers to the wood material (some hickory / a piece of hickory).

Common Mistakes

I bought a hickory for the fireplace.' (meaning a log).
I bought a hickory log for the fireplace.' or 'I bought some hickory for the fireplace.
when referring to wood as a material, 'hickory' is uncountable; use 'a piece of hickory' or 'a hickory log' for a single item.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Hickory, pecan, and walnut are all trees in the walnut family (Juglandaceae) that produce edible nuts. Hickory wood is the hardest and heaviest of the three, making it the preferred choice for tool handles and baseball bats. Pecan trees are cultivated mainly for their sweet, thin-shelled nuts, while their wood is less commonly used. Walnut trees are valued for both their rich-flavoured nuts and their dark, straight-grained wood, which is popular for furniture and gunstocks. Oak, from a different family (Fagaceae), produces wood of similar hardness but does not bear edible nuts in the same way. For example, furniture makers choose walnut for its colour, but choose hickory when they need maximum strength and shock resistance.

hickory ↗pecanwalnut ↗oak ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • made of hickory
  • smoked over hickory
  • a stand of hickory
  • hickory-smoked bacon

Etymology

AlgonquianVirginia AlgonquianEnglish

Hickory entered English in the 17th century from the language of the Algonquian peoples of North America. The Virginia Algonquian word 'pocohiquara' (also spelled 'pawcohiccora') referred to a drink made by crushing and boiling hickory nuts. Early English settlers shortened and adapted the word, and it gradually came to refer to the tree itself and its wood.