A Peanut Is Neither a Pea Nor a Nut
A peanut is an edible legume seed. It grows underground, which is unusual, and it is not a nut at all.
A peanut is the seed of *Arachis hypogaea*, a legume related to peas and beans rather than to tree nuts. It has a genuinely strange habit: after the flower is pollinated, the stalk bends down and pushes the developing pod into the soil, where the peanuts ripen underground. The species name means underground.
- A legume seed. *Roasted peanuts.*
- A trivial sum. *Paid peanuts.*
- Groundnut — another name. *Groundnut oil.*
- Peanut butter — a spread. *Crunchy peanut butter.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | peanut | A salted peanut. |
| Plural | peanuts | A bag of peanuts. |
| Alternative | groundnut | Groundnut oil. |
| Species | Arachis hypogaea | Arachis hypogaea. |
| Related | legume | A nitrogen-fixing legume. |
How it is used in a sentence
- They are paying peanuts.Very little money.
- Peanuts ripen underground.Which is why they are groundnuts.
- Peanut allergy is among the most serious.Reactions can be severe.
Peanut facts
- A legume — related to peas and beans, not tree nuts
- Geocarpy — the habit of ripening fruit underground
- Nitrogen fixing — peanuts enrich the soil they grow in
- George Washington Carver — promoted peanuts to restore southern US soils
- Allergy — distinct from tree nut allergy, though many people have both
A compound of *pea* and *nut*. The species name *hypogaea* means below the earth, describing where the pods develop.
Is a peanut a nut?
No. It is a legume, in the same family as peas and beans. Botanical nuts grow on trees and do not split open.
Why do peanuts grow underground?
After pollination the flower stalk bends down and pushes the developing pod into the soil, where it matures.