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nutshell

|nut/shell|

B2

🇺🇸

/ˈnʌtˌʃɛl/

🇬🇧

/ˈnʌtʃɛl/

concise summary

Etymology
Etymology Information

'nutshell' originates from Old English, specifically the words 'hnutu' meaning 'nut' and 'scell' meaning 'shell'.

Historical Evolution

'hnutu' and 'scell' combined in Old English to form 'hnutscyll', which eventually became the modern English word 'nutshell'.

Meaning Changes

Initially, it referred to the literal shell of a nut, but over time it evolved to also mean a concise summary.

Meanings by Part of Speech

Noun 1

the hard outer covering of a nut.

The squirrel cracked open the nutshell to get to the seed inside.

Synonyms

shellhusk

Noun 2

a concise summary or description.

In a nutshell, the project was a success.

Synonyms

summarybrief

Examples

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Idioms

in a nutshell

Last updated: 2025/02/23 00:51