peanut
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Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈpiːnʌt/; /ˈpiˌnʌt/ (US)[1]
Etymology
It is from English pea + nut.[2][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
The fruit or seed of the plant Arachis hypogaea, or the plant itself: 1807 in the OED and Etymonline;[4][2] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1802.[3] Earlier names, still common in England, were ground nut and ground pea (1769).[2]
Semantic evolution
The plant is native to South America;[2] Portuguese traders took it from Brazil and Peru to Africa by 1502, and it was grown in China by 1573.[2] Peanut gallery, the topmost and cheapest seats in a theatre, is American English from 1874, from the peanuts sold there as cheap snacks.[2] The adjective, trivial or worthless, is from 1836;[4] peanuts, a trivial sum, from 1934,[2][4] and a peanut, an unimportant person, from 1942.[2][4] Peanut butter is attested by 1892.[2]
Timeline
- 1769 – ground nut, ground pea.[2]
- 1807 – peanut.[4][2]
- 1836 – peanut, trivial.[4]
- 1874 – peanut gallery.[2]
- 1892 – peanut butter.[2]
- 1934 – peanuts, a small sum.[2][4]
Modern meaning
Noun
- A leguminous plant of tropical America whose seed pods ripen underground.
- The edible oily seed of this plant; a groundnut or monkey nut.
- (informal, plural) A trivial sum of money.
Adjective
- Of little or no importance.
Word family
- peanut brittle
- peanut butter
- peanut gallery
- peanut oil
Related words
- pea
- nut
- groundnut
- goober
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press