hickory

/ˈhɪkəri/ (bre, ipa) · [hˈɪkɚi] /ˈhɪkəri/ (ame, ipa) · [hˈɪkɚi] /ˈhi-k(ə-)rē/ (ame, mw)

hickory — noun

  • hickorysingular
  • hickoriesplural

1. A type of tree native mainly to the eastern United States and parts of eastern A

1.名詞B2
釋義

A type of tree native mainly to the eastern United States and parts of eastern Asia, producing sweet nuts that people can eat and a very hard, tough wood. The word is also used for the wood obtained from this tree, which is valued for making furniture, tool handles, and for smoking meat.

例句

The hickory in our backyard dropped dozens of nuts last fall.

countable: a single hickory tree

Lara's kitchen cabinets are made of solid hickory.

uncountable: hickory as material

同義詞
  • pecan

    a closely related tree in the same genus (Carya), also producing sweet edible nuts

  • walnut

    a different genus in the same family (Juglandaceae), with a milder-tasting wood and larger nuts

  • hardwood

    a broad category of dense wood from deciduous trees; hickory is one specific type of hardwood

反義詞
  • softwood

    wood from coniferous trees (e.g. pine, fir), which is lighter and less dense than hickory

文法句型

a + hickory (countable — a single tree)

some + hickory (uncountable — the material)

用法筆記

Hickory is countable when it refers to a single tree (a hickory / two hickories), but uncountable when it refers to the wood material (some hickory / a piece of hickory).

常見錯誤

❌I bought a hickory for the fireplace.' (meaning a log).
✅I bought a hickory log for the fireplace.' or 'I bought some hickory for the fireplace.
💡when referring to wood as a material, 'hickory' is uncountable; use 'a piece of hickory' or 'a hickory log' for a single item.