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faine

beechnut

noun FEN Rare

Usage Note

Faine (also spelled faîne) is the small triangular nut of the beech tree (le hêtre). The nuts were historically pressed for edible oil in rural France. The word is rarely encountered outside botanical, foraging, or regional culinary contexts. Beech forests that produce faines are called hêtraies.

Examples

"Les faines jonchent le sol en automne."

Natural Translation

Beechnuts litter the ground in autumn.

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