hazel

[hey-zuh l] /ˈheɪ zəl/
noun
1.
any shrub or small tree belonging to the genus Corylus, of the birch family, having toothed, ovate leaves and bearing edible nuts, as C. avellana, of Europe, or C. americana and C. cornuta, of the Western Hemisphere.
2.
any of several other shrubs or trees, as an Australian shrub, Pomaderris apetala.
3.
the wood of any of these trees.
4.
the hazelnut or filbert.
5.
light golden brown, as the color of a hazelnut.
adjective
6.
of or pertaining to the hazel.
7.
made of the wood of the hazel.
8.
having a light golden-brown color.
Origin
before 900; Middle English hasel; Old English hæs(e)l; cognate with German Hasel, Old Norse hasl, Latin corylus hazel shrub
Related forms
hazelly, adjective

Hazel

[hey-zuh l] /ˈheɪ zəl/
noun
1.
a female given name.
Examples from the web for hazel
  • The eyes are large, hazel or brown, with a mild houndlike pleading look.
British Dictionary definitions for hazel

hazel

/ˈheɪzəl/
noun
1.
Also called cob. any of several shrubs of the N temperate genus Corylus, esp C. avellana, having oval serrated leaves and edible rounded brown nuts: family Corylaceae
2.
the wood of any of these trees
3.
short for hazelnut
4.
  1. a light yellowish-brown colour
  2. (as adjective): hazel eyes
Word Origin
Old English hæsel; related to Old Norse hasl, Old High German hasala, Latin corylus, Old Irish coll
Word Origin and History for hazel
n.

Old English hæsl, hæsel, from Proto-Germanic *hasalaz (cf. Old Norse hasl, Middle Dutch hasel, German hasel), from PIE *koselo- "hazel" (cf. Latin corulus, Old Irish coll "hazel"). Shakespeare ("Romeo and Juliet," 1592) was first to use it (in print) in the sense of "reddish-brown color of eyes" (in reference to the color of ripe hazel-nuts), when Mercutio accuses Benvolio of being testy with:

Thou wilt quarrell with a man for cracking Nuts, hauing no reason, but because thou hast hasell eyes.

hazel in the Bible

Heb. luz, (Gen. 30:37), a nutbearing tree. The Hebrew word is rendered in the Vulgate by amygdalinus, "the almond-tree," which is probably correct. That tree flourishes in Syria.