n.
Pronunciation: pi- ' kän, - ' kan; ' p ē - ˌ kan
Function: noun
Etymology: American French pacane, from Illinois pakani
Date: 1772
1 : a large hickory ( Carya illinoinensis syn. C. illinoensis ) that has roughish bark and hard but brittle wood and is widely grown in the warmer parts of the U.S. and in Mexico for its edible nut
2 : the wood of the pecan tree
3 : the smooth oblong thin-shelled nut of the pecan tree