mockernut hickory
- noun
- /ˈmɒkərnʌt ˈhɪkəri/
- US
:
hickory mockernut
- In the park, we saw a tall mockernut hickory with smooth bark and shiny green leaves.
Examples
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During our hike, we paused under a mockernut hickory to enjoy the shade it provided.
-
Her home was surrounded by oak, cypress, and mockernut hickory trees, all draped heavily in Spanish moss.
Fiction book (2001) -
The mockernut hickory produces delicious nuts that are popular among wildlife in the area.
Synonyms
A North American tree that makes hard nuts people can eat
A North American hickory tree with hard wood and hard-shelled edible nuts
A tree from North America with smooth bark and hard edible nuts
A North American tree with smooth bark and hard edible nuts
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a compositional compound where 'mockernut' identifies a particular variety and 'hickory' names the tree type, so the meaning (a specific kind of hickory tree) is directly derivable from the parts. Such modifier + head noun constructions for species or plant names are cross-linguistically common and therefore immediately comprehensible to learners who know the constituents.
Etymology
Mockernut hickory may get its name from the hard nut that seems to 'mock' you because its shell is so tough it is hard to open, so people called the nut mockernut. The word hickory names the tree, so the full name points to a hickory tree known for its very hard, edible nuts.
