hazel

 
Pronunciation: /ˈheɪz(ə)l/

noun

  • 1a temperate shrub or small tree with broad leaves, bearing prominent male catkins in spring and round hard-shelled edible nuts in autumn: [as modifier]: a hazel coppice
    • Genus Corylus, family Betulaceae: several species, in particular the common Eurasian hazel (C. avellana)
  • 2 [mass noun] a reddish-brown or greenish-brown colour, especially of a person’s eyes: [as modifier]: the laughing hazel eyes were serious now

Origin:

Old English hæsel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hazelaar 'hazel tree', hazelnoot 'hazelnut', and German Hasel, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin corylus