horse chestnut

noun

a tree, Aesculus hippocastanum, native to the Old World, having digitate leaves and upright clusters of white flowers.
the shiny, brown, nutlike seed of this tree or of other trees of the genus Aesculus.

horse chestnut

any of several trees of the genus Aesculus, esp the Eurasian A. hippocastanum, having palmate leaves, erect clusters of white, pink, or red flowers, and brown shiny inedible nuts enclosed in a spiky bur: family Hippocastanaceae
Also calledconker the nut of this tree

1590–1600; translation of New Latin castanea equīna; so named from its use in treating respiratory diseases of horses

C16: so called from its having been used in the treatment of respiratory disease in horses

I made my way to a boulevard shaded by horse chestnut trees vying for height and grandeur with ornate, five-story apartments.

Then he felt better, especially after he had rubbed a horse chestnut on his sore leg.

Her perfectly arranged hair was glossy brown, with glints in it like the colour of a horse-chestnut.

Several people stood before the Rectory, beneath the shade of a large horse-chestnut tree.

Many Americans wear the seed of the horse-chestnut, and many others wear lucky coins.

I tried in vain to get his honest opinion on horse-chestnut blossoms as compared with apples and peaches and apricots.

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

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