pistachio Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun small tree of southern Europe and Asia Minor bearing small hard-shelled nuts
    Pistacia vera; pistachio tree.
  2. noun nut of Mediterranean trees having an edible green kernel
    pistachio nut.

WordNet

Pis*ta"chio noun
Etymology
It. pistacchio (cf. Sp. pistacho, F. pistache), fr. L. pistacium, Gr. , , fr. Per. pistah. Cf. Fistinut.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) The nut of the Pistacia vera, a tree of the order Anacardiaceæ, containing a kernel of a pale greenish color, which has a pleasant taste, resembling that of the almond, and yields an oil of agreeable taste and odor; -- called also pistachio nut. It is wholesome and nutritive. The tree grows in Arabia, Persia, Syria, and Sicily. Written also pistachia.

Webster 1913