Nuts with a hard, wrinkled shell that grow inside a round green husk, known for being nutritious and having a slightly bitter taste.
From Old English 'wealh' meaning 'foreign' (because they came from foreign lands, originally Persia) plus 'nut.' The 'wal-' prefix originally meant 'Welsh' or 'foreign' in Anglo-Saxon languages.
Walnuts are called 'foreign nuts' because English and German speakers saw them as exotic imports—the 'wal' part is the same root as 'Welsh,' which also meant 'foreign' to Anglo-Saxons!
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