nutmeg hickory
- noun
- US
:
nogal de nuez moscada
- The nutmeg hickory produces distinctive hard nuts that resemble nutmeg in shape.
Examples
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In autumn, the nuts of the nutmeg hickory are a valuable food source for wildlife.
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The nutmeg hickory tree can grow up to 100 feet tall.
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Foresters in Texas often encounter the nutmeg hickory while surveying woodland areas.
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Many wildlife species depend on the nutmeg hickory for food.
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Many wildlife species depend on the nutmeg hickory for food during the winter months.
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In autumn, the nuts of the nutmeg hickory provide a valuable food source for deer and squirrels.
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Foresters in Texas often encounter the nutmeg hickory when surveying for tree management projects.
Synonyms
A hickory tree from the southern United States and Mexico that makes hard nuts shaped like nutmeg
A type of hickory tree from the southern United States and Mexico that makes hard nuts shaped like nutmeg
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward noun–noun compound where 'nutmeg' modifies 'hickory' to specify the type or characteristic of the tree (i.e. hickory with nutmeg-shaped or nutmeg-like nuts). This compositional pattern is regular in English and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun nutmeg hickory comes from the tree's hard nuts that look like a nutmeg spice. People joined nutmeg and hickory to show it is a hickory with 'nutmeg-shaped' nuts.
