chinquapin

noun

chin·​qua·​pin ˈchiŋ-ki-ˌpin How to pronounce chinquapin (audio)
variants or chinkapin
1
: the edible nut of a chinquapin
2
: any of several trees (genera Castanea and Castanopsis)
especially : a dwarf chestnut (Castanea pumila) of the U.S.

Examples of chinquapin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Caitlin, Tom, Ellen, Kylie, Bert and Sandra, members of the Hobbs root extraction team, will speak at a free presentation on new information about Ozark chinquapin trees at 2 p.m. Oct. 6 a the Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area. — Deb Harvell, arkansasonline.com, 23 Sep. 2024 It has been commonly thought that the root system of an Ozark chinquapin mainly consisted of one large tap root. — Deb Harvell, arkansasonline.com, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably modification of Virginia Algonquian chechinquamin chinquapin nut

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chinquapin was in 1612

Phrases Containing chinquapin

Rhymes for chinquapin

See All Rhymes for chinquapin

Browse Nearby Words

chinpiece
chinquapin
chinquapin oak
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chinquapin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chinquapin. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on chinquapin

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chinquapin

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

'Blue Moon,' 'Wolf Moon,' and Other Moons to Look for Throughout the Year

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All