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Glite Dictionary
shellbark hickory

shellbark hickory

8.6
A North American tree with loose grey shaggy bark that makes large edible nuts
  • noun
  • /ˈʃɛlˌbɑrk ˈhɪkəri/
  • US
translation icon : nogal de cáscara suelta
  • We identified a shellbark hickory by its distinctive shaggy bark in the forest.

Examples

  • The shellbark hickory produces some of the largest edible nuts among native hickories.

  • Carpenters valued the tough wood of the shellbark hickory for making durable tools.

  • The shellbark hickory tree grows in rich, moist soils.

  • Many animals enjoy the nuts of the shellbark hickory.

  • The shellbark hickory produces some of the largest edible nuts among native hickories.

  • Carpenters valued the tough wood of the shellbark hickory for making durable tools.

  • We identified a shellbark hickory by its distinctive shaggy bark in the forest.

Synonyms

shellbark
vsshellbark hickory
  • US
9.9

A North American hickory tree with thick, peeling grey bark and large edible nuts

is the longer form including the tree type rather than the short name
Carya laciniosa
vsshellbark hickory
  • Specialized
9.9

A tree from eastern North America with large nuts and shaggy bark

is the common descriptive name rather than the scientific species label

Surface Forms

shellbark hickory singular
shellbark hickories plural

Morphology

shellbark + hickory

This is a straightforward noun–noun compound where 'shellbark' describes a type of bark and 'hickory' names the tree; the overall meaning (a hickory with shell-like/shaggy bark and edible nuts) follows directly from the constituents. Such modifier+head taxonomic compounds are compositionally transparent and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Shellbark hickory gets its name from the tree's loose, shaggy bark that peels in plates like a shell and from its nuts, which have a thick shell. So the name points to a hickory with 'shaggy bark' and large, 'edible nuts'.