groundnut
groundnut Lexical Profile
groundnut Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British The peanut; the edible, oil-rich underground seed pod of a leguminous plant (Arachis hypogaea), widely cultivated as a staple food crop and source of cooking oil.
"The stew was thickened with a rich paste made from roasted groundnuts and local spices."
Any of various leguminous or tuber-bearing plants of the family Fabaceae or Araliaceae that produce edible subterranean pods or tubers, such as the peanut plant (Arachis hypogaea) or the North American climbing vine (Apios americana).
"Farmers rotate maize with nitrogen-fixing groundnuts to restore the fertility of the sandy soil."
North American The edible, nut-flavored underground tuber of any of several wild plants, especially a perennial North American climbing vine of the pea family (Apios americana) or the dwarf ginseng (Panax trifolius).
"Indigenous peoples across eastern North America harvested wild groundnuts as a reliable source of carbohydrates during the winter."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British, West African, and South Asian English, 'groundnut' commonly refers to the ordinary peanut, whereas in American English it more often denotes wild North American plants with edible underground tubers, such as Apios americana.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the early 17th century as a compound of 'ground' and 'nut', originally referring to various European and North American plants bearing nut-like underground tubers before being applied to the peanut.