French word

noix

Pronunciation

IPA/nwa/

Meaning

  • feminine nounwalnut

Example

Je mange une noix.

I am eating a walnut.

Illustration for noix (walnut)

More examples

J'ajoute des noix dans la salade.

I add walnuts to the salad.

Core concept

A hard shell opens to reveal a wrinkled edible kernel from a walnut tree.

Common phrases

  • une noix

    a walnut

  • une poignée de noix

    a handful of walnuts

Similar words

noisette: A small nut with a hard shell enclosing a round edible kernel.
amande: A slender, pale nut commonly used in confectionery after its shell is removed.
cacahuète: A ground-growing legume with several bean-like kernels inside a thin shell.
noix de coco: A large tropical fruit containing white flesh and liquid beneath a hard shell.

Definition in French

Fruit dur du noyer qui renferme une amande comestible protégée par une coque, souvent consommé comme oléagineux.

Word origin

French noix descends from Latin nux, with the genitive nucis, through Old French noiz and later spelling changes.

Usage tips

  • Noix is feminine, so the usual singular form is une noix and the plural form is des noix.

Other meanings

  • nutnoun

Word lists with this word