Meanings
plural groundnuts · alternative ground nut
- A climbing vine, Apios americana, of eastern North America, having fragrant brownish flowers and small edible tubers.
- Any similar plant having underground tubers.
- The nutlike tuber of such a plant, especially peanuts.
- A plant which bears its nutlike seeds underground, such as a peanut (Arachis hypogaea) or a Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea).
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna North American vine with fragrant blossoms and edible tubers; important food crop of Native Americans
nounpod of the peanut vine containing usually 2 nuts or seeds; ‘groundnut’ and ‘monkey nut’ are British terms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From ground + nut. Compare Icelandic jarðhneta, German Erdnuss (both cognate with earthnut) and Hungarian földimogyoró.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian фъстък
- фъстък (făstăk)Apios americana
Tamil நிலக்கடலை, வேர்க்கடலை
- நிலக்கடலை (nilakkaṭalai)Apios americana
- வேர்க்கடலை (vērkkaṭalai)Apios americana
Cite this entry
groundnut. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/groundnut
“groundnut.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/groundnut. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “groundnut,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/groundnut.
Source: groundnut on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.