filbert

1. See hazel (sense 1).
2. See hazelnut.

[Middle English, from Old French (nois de) filbert, (nut of) Philbert, after Saint Philibert (died 684), whose feast day in late August coincides with the ripening of the nut.]

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A nut from any plant in the genus Corylus (Betulaceae); also called hazelnut. About 15 species are recognized, distributed widely over the north temperate zone and ranging in size from shrubs to tall trees. Filberts in commerce are derived mostly from the European species C. avellana and C. maxima. Hybrids of these with the American species, C. americana, are grown sparingly in the eastern United States.

Filberts are grown widely in Europe and the Mediterranean basin, where much of the crop is consumed locally. Imports to the United States come mostly from Turkey. In the United States filberts are grown in Oregon and Washington. Filberts are sold in shell, or the kernels are roasted and used in confectionery and baked goods.

The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: small nut-bearing tree much grown in Europe
  Synonyms: cobnut, Corylus avellana, Corylus avellana grandis

Meaning #2: nut of any of several trees of the genus Corylus
  Synonyms: hazelnut, cobnut, cob

Filbert can mean the following:

• Filbert (Corylus maxima), a species of hazel nut
• Filbert, South Carolina
• Filbert, West Virginia
• Filburt, a character of the TV show Rocko's Modern Life
• Slang: a lunatic; an individual wholly unhinged; predominant neurotic tendencies (e.g., "a nut").
• Filbert paintbrush, a type of artist's brush that has an ovoid tip which resembles a hazelnut

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