n. & adj.
--n.
1. a a glossy hard brown edible nut. b the tree Castanea sativa, bearing flowers in catkins and nuts enclosed in a spiny fruit. Also called Spanish chestnut or sweet chestnut.
2 any other tree of the genus Castanea.
3 horse chestnut.
4 (in full chestnut-wood) the heavy wood of any chestnut tree.
5 a horse of a reddish-brown or yellowish-brown colour.
6 colloq. a stale joke or anecdote.
7 a small hard patch on a horse's leg.
8 a reddish-brown colour.
--adj. of the colour chestnut.
Phrases and idioms:
liver chestnut a dark kind of chestnut horse.
Etymology: obs. chesten f. OF chastaine f. L castanea f. Gk kastanea