horse chestnut: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

No. Horse chestnuts (conkers) contain a toxic compound called aesculin and are poisonous to humans, horses, and many other animals if ingested.

They are from completely different tree families. Sweet chestnuts (Castanea) produce edible nuts in a husk with many fine spines. Horse chestnuts (Aesculus) produce inedible, toxic nuts in a thick, sparsely spiked husk. The leaves are also different: horse chestnut leaves are palmate (like fingers), while sweet chestnut leaves are simple and spear-shaped.

The name likely originates from the mark left on the twig after a leaf falls, which resembles a horse's hoof with nail marks. Another theory is that the Turks fed the nuts to horses as a cough medicine.

Conkers is a traditional British children's game played with the seeds of the horse chestnut tree. A conker is the hard nut itself, strung on a string. Players take turns trying to strike and break their opponent's conker.

A large, inedible nut encased in a spiky green husk, produced by the horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum).

Horse chestnut is usually general. common in everyday, botanical, and informal contexts. in register.

Horse chestnut: in British English it is pronounced /ˌhɔːs ˈtʃesnʌt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌhɔːrs ˈtʃesnʌt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.