Carya glabra
- noun
- Specialized
:
Carya glabra
- The wood of Carya glabra is highly valued for tool handles and flooring.
Examples
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Although the nuts of Carya glabra are bitter, some wildlife species feed on them.
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The Carya glabra can be found in forests throughout the eastern United States.
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The Carya glabra is commonly known as the pignut hickory.
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I saw a Carya glabra during my hike in the Appalachian Mountains.
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The Carya glabra tree is known for its valuable hardwood, often used in furniture making.
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Many people enjoy seeing the tall Carya glabra in the parks of eastern North America.
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The distinctive bark of the Carya glabra helps identify it among other trees in the forest.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A North American tree that makes bitter edible nuts
An American tree with hard bitter nuts and strong wood
A North American tree with smooth bark and bitter nuts
How Bitter
Surface Forms
Morphology
Carya + glabra
The form is a Latin binomial: knowing 'Carya' (the hickory genus) lets a learner infer this refers to a type/species of hickory, so part of the meaning is recoverable. However, the specific epithet 'glabra' is Latin and not transparent in everyday English, and taxonomic names do not convey the detailed traits (e.g., 'pignut', hard wood, bitter nuts) to a B1 learner, so the full meaning is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Carya glabra is a scientific name that gives a simple picture: Carya comes from an old Greek word for 'nut' and glabra is Latin for 'smooth', so the name suggests a smooth hickory with nuts. That's why the name fits this hickory species, known for its hard wood and bitter nuts.