Pistachio

Pis‐ta″chio (?), n. [It. pistacchio (cf. Sp. pistacho, F. pistache), fr. L. pistacium, Gr. �, �, fr. Per. pistah. Cf. Fistinut.] (Bot.) The nut of the Pistacia vera, a tree of the order Anacardiaceæ, containing a kernel of a pale greenish color, which has a pleasant taste, resembling that of the almond, and yields an oil of agreeable taste and odor; — called also pistachio nut. It is wholesome and nutritive. The tree grows in Arabia, Persia, Syria, and Sicily. [Written also pistachia.]