Horse-chestnut

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Horse-chestnut \Horse`-chest"nut\, Horsechestnut
  \Horse`chest"nut\, n.
     1. (Bot.) The large nutlike seed of a species of {Aesculus}
        ({Aesculus Hippocastanum}), formerly ground, and fed to
        horses, whence the name. The seed is not considered edible
        by humans. [WordNet sense 2]


        [1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5]
  
     2. (Bot.) The tree itself ({Aesculus hippocastanum}), which
        was brought from Constantinople in the beginning of the
        sixteenth century, and is now common in the temperate
        zones of both hemispheres; it has palmate leaves and large
        clusters of white to red flowers followed by brown shiny
        inedible seeds. The native American species is also called
        {buckeye} and {conker}. [WordNet sense 1]
        [1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5]