Filberds

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Oval, thin-shelled edible nuts produced by the cultivated hazel tree and often sold as a snack or used in baking
2. The sweet, rich-tasting kernels of cultivated hazel trees, usually with a smooth brown shell and a pointed tip
3. Plump edible nuts that grow on cultivated hazel shrubs and are prized for their flavor in desserts and confections

Etymology: "Filberds" is simply the plural of "filberd," a variant spelling of "filbert," the name for the hazelnut. Its history is therefore the history of the nut itself: the word is tied to the hazel tree and to the nut's association with a saint's feast day, as older English names for these nuts suggest. Because this entry gives no further detail on the singular's origin, nothing more can be said here with confidence about the form "filberd" beyond its status as a spelling of "filbert."

Synonyms: hazelnut, cobnut