1. a North American tree with hard, strong wood and edible nuts
2. the hard, durable wood of the hickory tree

Examples

• The old hickory tree in our backyard produces nuts every fall.
• Baseball bats were traditionally made from hickory wood.
• Hickory is prized for smoking meats because of its distinctive flavor.
• The carpenter chose hickory for the chair because of its strength.
• Squirrels gathered hickory nuts to store for winter.
• The hickory’s bark has a distinctive shaggy appearance.
• Hickory wood burns slowly and produces excellent coals for cooking.