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horse chestnut

1. Any of several trees of the genus Aesculus, especially the European species A. hippocastanum, having opposite, palmately compound leaves, erect clusters of white flowers tinged with red or yellow, and spiny or smooth capsules containing large shiny brown seeds.

2. The seed of any of these plants.

[Perhaps from a former use to cure cough in horses.]

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horse chestnut

Aesculus hippocastanum

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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