candlenut

C3A1N1D2L1E1N1U1T1

noun

A flowering tree (Aleurites moluccana and Aleurites rockinghamensis) of the family Euphorbiaceae, also known as candleberry, Indian walnut, kemiri, varnish tree or kukui nut tree.

Similar
varnish treeAleurites moluccana
Scrabble 12

Meanings

nouncandlenut (plural candlenuts)

plural candlenuts

  1. A flowering tree (Aleurites moluccana and Aleurites rockinghamensis) of the family Euphorbiaceae, also known as candleberry, Indian walnut, kemiri, varnish tree or kukui nut tree.
    1 more example

    In both respects, as I have already pointed out, they differed from the Polynesians who brought with them to their island homes not only their language but their agriculture, from the cradle of their race in the Malay Archipelago; cuttings of seedless breadfruit and of sugarcane, fleshy roots of taro and yams; even trees, like the Indian almond and the candlenut.

    1923, Various, Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Fourteenth Annual Meeting
  2. The seed of this tree, used as a candle
    1 more example

    The scene under the candlenut torches was as familiar to us as the Ohio River of Uncle Tom to the small-town schoolboy; the meager rows of three-quarter naked Kanakas, yellow with saffron and blue with tattooer's ink; the old women in the background of sultry lights and enormous shadows compounding endless balls of popoi for the feast; the local and desceptered chieftain squatting on his hams and guarding the vanished gallon between his knees; this was all as it should have been.

    1921, Various, The Best Short Stories of 1921 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story

Synonyms & antonyms

nounlarge tree native to southeastern Asia; the nuts yield oil used in varnishes; nut kernels strung together are used locally as candles

Similar
varnish treeAleurites moluccana
Broader
angiospermous treeflowering tree
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Translations

Bulgarian кукуи, кукуи
  • кукуи (kukui)seed
  • кукуи (kukui)tree
Esperanto aleŭrito
  • aleŭritotree
Hawaiian kukui, kukui
  • kukuiseed
  • kukuitree
Indonesian kemiri
  • kemiriseed
Malay buah keras, kemiri
  • buah kerasseed
  • kemiriseed
  • kemintingseed
  • buah kerastree
  • kemiritree
  • kemintingtree
Swahili mkaa
  • mkaatree
Tagalog lumbang
  • lumbangtree
Cite this entry
APA

candlenut. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/candlenut

MLA

“candlenut.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/candlenut. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “candlenut,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/candlenut.

Source: candlenut on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.