Hazels

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Woody shrubs or small trees of the genus known for producing edible nuts called filberts; the nuts themselves used for eating or flavoring; trees valued for their flexible branches often used in crafts or fencing
2. Deciduous plants bearing round edible kernels encased in a hard shell; the nuts harvested commercially and used in cooking and confectionery; flexible stems commonly utilized in traditional basket weaving and garden structures
3. Species of trees or shrubs notable for their nut production which is consumed fresh or processed; the harvested nuts serve culinary and economic purposes; their pliant branches are also harvested for ornamental or practical uses in household crafts

Etymology: "Hazels" is the plural of "hazel," and the English word traces back to a prehistoric Germanic root shared across much of northern Europe. Old English "hæsl" named the shrub, and it descended from Proto-Germanic "haslaz," itself reaching back to an Indo-European form "kóslos," meaning the same thing. The word's German, Dutch, and Scandinavian relatives, such as German "Hasel" and Swedish "hassel," all keep the same sense of the tree. The most striking relative lies far from northern Europe. Latin "corylus" and "corulus" also meant hazel, and so do Celtic words such as Welsh "cyll" and Irish "coll." The same ancient name for this shrub therefore appears in Germanic, Latin, and Celtic languages, showing how widely the plant was known and named across Europe long before English existed.

Synonyms: hazel trees, filberts, cobnuts