noun
1. : a tall straight erect forest tree ( Carya ovata ) that grows throughout the eastern and central United States chiefly in rich moist lowlands, is distinguished by a thick light gray bark which often curls back in large plates from the underlying structure, and yields a sweet edible somewhat aromatic nut — see tree illustration
2. : a tough strong straight-grained light-colored wood yielded by the shagbark hickory and used especially for implement handles