[pe.can] n [AmerF pacane, of Algonquian origin; akin to Ojibwa pakan, a hard-shelled nut] (1712) 1: a large hickory (Carya 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