1the oval seed of a tropical South American plant, often roasted and salted and eaten as a snack or used to make oil or animal feed:a bag of dry-roasted peanuts
2the plant of the pea family that bears peanuts, which develop in pods that ripen underground.
Arachis hypogaea, family Leguminosae
3 (peanuts) informal a very small or inadequate sum of money:he pays peanuts
4 (peanuts) small pieces of styrofoam used as packing material.
