pecan
pih-KAHN · noun
Origin
Pecan was borrowed from French pacane, first spelled paccan in English, and the French word itself came from an Algonquian source, likely Miami (Illinois) pakani.
This is Curio: one word's origin story, every morning. No feed, no backlog.
One short email each morning. Free; stop anytime. See a sample →
Journey
The word narrowed from a general Algonquian term for a hard nut into the specific English name for one particular tree and its nut.
Related words
It shares roots with Cree pakan, Ojibwe bagaan, and Abenaki pagann/bagôn/pagôn, all Algonquian words meaning nut, walnut, or hazelnut — the pecan was just one variety among many the word once covered.