A pecan is a type of nut with a smooth brown shell and a rich, oily, slightly sweet flavor, often used in pies and desserts. It grows on tall pecan trees.
“Pecan” comes from an Algonquian Native American word, often reconstructed as *pakani*, meaning “nut requiring a stone to crack.” It entered English through French speakers in North America.
The original name didn’t care about species; it cared about how hard the nut was to crack. That’s why the root word referred to several nuts that needed a stone to open. The language remembers the tool before the taste.
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