pistachio

noun

pis·​ta·​chio pə-ˈsta-sh(ē-ˌ)ō  -ˈstä- 

plural pistachios

: a small Asian tree (Pistacia vera) of the cashew family whose drupaceous fruit contains a greenish edible seed

also : its seed

Examples of pistachio in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

California’s agriculture industry takes in billions of dollars exporting pistachios, wine and other products to China, Mexico, Canada and other nations. —Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2024

The menu features plant-forward Alpine cuisine, like celery confit with a chervil and pistachio béarnaise sauce and oven-roasted and marinated local pumpkin with black radish, honey, and black aioli. —Devorah Lev-Tov, Travel + Leisure, 5 Dec. 2024

Get ahead of the curve with the pistachio (and pistachio-adjacent) pairs below. —Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 4 Dec. 2024

The chocolate bars are like KitKats, but filled with pistachios and aromatic pistachio nougat. —Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian pistacchio, from Latin pistacium pistachio nut, from Greek pistakion, from pistakē pistachio tree, of Iranian origin; akin to Persian pistah pistachio tree

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

pistachio

noun

pis·​ta·​chio pə-ˈstash-(ē-ˌ)ō  -ˈstäsh- 

plural pistachios

: a small Asian tree that is related to the sumacs and has a fruit containing a greenish edible seed

also : its seed