Pit vs. Nut — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 26, 2024
A pit is the hard, protective inner layer that encases the seed of some fruits, while a nut is a type of fruit itself, consisting of a seed and a hard shell.
Difference Between Pit and Nut
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Pits are found inside certain fruits like peaches, cherries, and plums, acting as a protective casing for the seed within. These fruits are known as drupes, characterized by an outer fleshy part surrounding a single shell (the pit) that contains the seed. Nuts, on the other hand, are a broader category of fruit where the entire ovary wall becomes hard at maturity, enclosing the seed. Examples include almonds, walnuts, and pecans. While all nuts have hard shells, not all hard-shelled fruits are considered nuts in the botanical sense.
Pits are not meant to be eaten and are often discarded or used in specific applications like planting or as flavoring agents when cooking (e.g., apricot kernels). Nuts, however, are widely consumed for their nutritional value, including proteins, fats, and various minerals. Their shells need to be cracked open to access the edible seeds inside.
In terms of cultivation, fruits with pits (stone fruits) require specific conditions for growth, such as certain climates and soils conducive to their development. Nut-bearing plants, including both true nuts like hazelnuts and botanical nuts like almonds, often require different growing conditions, with some thriving in temperate climates and others in warmer areas.
From a culinary perspective, pits are rarely used directly in food preparation, aside from specific cases like marzipan, which uses sweet almond and apricot kernel pastes. Nuts, however, are versatile ingredients used in a vast range of dishes, from snacks and desserts to main courses, valued for their texture and flavor.
The terminology also differs: a "pit" refers specifically to the protective casing of a seed within certain fruits, derived from the Old English word "pytt," meaning a hole or cavity. The term "nut" has a broader application, originating from the Old English "hnutu," indicating a hard-shelled seed.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Hard inner layer protecting a seed in certain fruits.
Fruit with a hard shell and a seed inside.
Found In
Drupes such as peaches, cherries, plums.
Various plants, including trees and shrubs.
Edibility
Generally not eaten.
Edible, often consumed for their seeds.
Usage
Discarded, used for planting or flavoring.
Eaten raw, roasted, or as part of dishes.
Cultivation
Requires specific climates and soils.
Varies widely, some thrive in temperate or warmer climates.
Compare with Definitions
Pit
Found in drupes.
Removing the pit from cherries can be tedious.
Nut
Seed and hard shell fruit.
Almonds are actually seeds inside a hard nut shell.
Pit
Not typically eaten.
Apricot pits are used to add flavor to jams.
Nut
Can be eaten raw or cooked.
Cashews are often roasted with salt.
Pit
Can be used for planting.
He planted a plum pit in the backyard.
Nut
Edible and nutritious.
Walnuts are eaten for their healthy fats.
Pit
Integral to certain fruits.
Stone fruits are characterized by their hard pits.
Nut
Used in various cuisines.
Pecan pie is a popular dessert in the South.
Pit
Protective seed casing.
The peach pit was discarded after eating the fruit.
Nut
Broadly cultivated.
Hazelnut farms are common in temperate regions.
Pit
A large hole in the ground.
Nut
An indehiscent fruit having a single seed enclosed in a hard shell, such as an acorn or hazelnut.
Pit
A hollow or indentation in a surface.
Nut
The usually edible seed of such a fruit.
Pit
An area at the side of a track where racing cars are serviced and refuelled
He had a flat tyre when he came into the pits
The pit lane
Nut
Any of various other usually edible seeds enclosed in a hard covering such as a seed coat or the stone of a drupe, as in a pine nut, peanut, almond, or walnut.
Pit
An orchestra pit.
Nut
A crazy or eccentric person.
Pit
A part of the floor of a stock exchange in which a particular stock or commodity is traded
The trading pit of the Singapore International Monetary Exchange
Pooled commodity funds liquidated positions in the corn and soybean pits
Nut
An enthusiast; a buff
A movie nut.
Pit
An enclosure in which animals are made to fight
A bear pit
Nut
(Informal) A difficult endeavor or problem
Painting the closet was a tough nut to crack.
Pit
A person's bed.
Nut
(Slang) The human head.
Pit
A person's armpit.
Nut
A ridge of wood at the top of the fingerboard or neck of a stringed instrument, over which the strings pass.
Pit
The stone of a fruit.
Nut
A device at the lower end of the bow for a stringed instrument, used for tightening the hairs.
Pit
Set someone or something in conflict or competition with
You'll get the chance to pit your wits against the world champions
Nut
A small block of metal or wood with a central, threaded hole that is designed to fit around and secure a bolt or screw.
Pit
Make a hollow or indentation in the surface of
Rain poured down, pitting the bare earth
Nut
The cost of launching a business venture.
Pit
Drive a racing car into the pits for fuel or maintenance
He pitted on lap 36 with sudden engine trouble
Nut
The operating expenses of a theater, theatrical production, or similar enterprise
"The [theater] has simply failed to attract enough paying customers per week to meet its nut" (Variety).
Pit
Remove the pit from (fruit).
Nut
Vulgar Slang A testicle.
Pit
A natural or artificial hole or cavity in the ground.
Nut
To gather or hunt for nuts.
Pit
An excavation for the removal of mineral deposits; a mine.
Nut
Vulgar Slang To ejaculate.
Pit
The shaft of a mine.
Nut
Any of various hard-shelled seeds or hard, dry fruits from various families of plants.
There are many sorts of nuts: peanuts, cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts and more.
Pit
A concealed hole in the ground used as a trap; a pitfall.
Nut
Such a fruit that is indehiscent.
Pit
A small indentation in a surface
Pits in a windshield.
Nut
(hardware) A piece of hardware, typically metal and typically hexagonal or square in shape, with a hole through it having internal screw threads, intended to be screwed onto a threaded bolt or other threaded shaft.
Pit
A natural hollow or depression in the body or an organ.
Nut
(slang) The head. 19
Pit
A small indented scar left in the skin by smallpox or other eruptive disease; a pockmark.
Nut
(slang) A crazy person.
He was driving his car like a nut.
Pit
(Zoology) Either of a pair of depressions between the nostril and the eye of a pit viper that contain heat-sensing organs.
Nut
(colloquial) An extreme enthusiast.
A fashion nut — a gun nut — a sailing nut
Pit
(Botany) A cavity in the wall of a plant cell where there is no secondary wall, as in fibers, tracheids, and vessel elements.
Nut
An extravagantly fashionable young man.
Pit
(Informal) An armpit.
Nut
The glans structure at the extremity of the penis or of the clitoris.
Pit
An enclosed, usually sunken area in which animals, such as dogs or gamecocks, are placed for fighting.
Nut
A testicle.
I kicked him in the nuts.
Pit
The section directly in front of and below the stage of a theater, in which the musicians sit.
Nut
Semen, ejaculate.
Pit
Chiefly British The ground floor of a theater behind the stalls.
Nut
Orgasm, ejaculation; especially release of semen.
He just needs a good nut to make him feel better.
Pit
The section of an exchange where trading in a specific commodity is carried on.
Nut
Monthly expense to keep a venture running.
Pit
The gambling area of a casino.
Nut
The amount of money necessary to set up some venture; set-up costs.
Pit
A sunken area in a garage floor from which mechanics may work on cars.
Nut
A stash of money owned by an extremely rich investor, sufficient to sustain a high level of consumption if all other money is lost.
Pit
Often pits(Sports) An area beside an auto racecourse where cars may be refueled or serviced during a race
Pulled into the pits to have the tires rotated.
Nut
On stringed instruments such as guitars and violins, the small piece at the peghead end of the fingerboard that holds the strings at the proper spacing and, in most cases, the proper height.
Pit
Hell. Used with the.
Nut
En, a unit of measurement equal to half of the height of the type in use.
Pit
A miserable or depressing place or situation.
Nut
(climbing) A shaped piece of metal, threaded by a wire loop, which is jammed in a crack in the rockface and used to protect a climb. (Originally, machine nuts [sense #2] were used for this purpose.)
Pit
Pits(Slang) The worst. Used with the
"New York politics are the pits" (Washington Star).
Nut
The best possible hand of a certain type, for instance: nut straight, nut flush, and nut full house. Compare t=the best possible hand available.
Pit
(Football) The middle areas of the defensive and offensive lines.
Nut
(firearms) The tumbler of a gunlock.
Pit
The single central kernel or stone of certain fruits, such as a peach or cherry.
Nut
(nautical) A projection on each side of the shank of an anchor, to secure the stock in place.
Pit
To mark with cavities, depressions, or scars
A surface pitted with craters.
Nut
(archaic) A small rounded cake or cookie.
Pit
To set in direct opposition or competition
A war that pitted brother against brother.
Nut
(mostly in the form "nutting") To gather nuts.
Pit
To place, bury, or store in a pit.
Nut
To hit deliberately with the head; to headbutt.
Pit
To become marked with pits.
Nut
To orgasm; to ejaculate.
Pit
To retain an impression after being indented. Used of the skin.
Nut
(slang) To hit in the testicles.
Pit
To stop at a refueling area during an auto race.
Nut
(slang) To defeat thoroughly.
Pit
To extract the pit from (a fruit).
Nut
No.
Pit
A hole in the ground.
The meadow around the town is full of old pits.
Nut
The fruit of certain trees and shrubs (as of the almond, walnut, hickory, beech, filbert, etc.), consisting of a hard and indehiscent shell inclosing a kernel.
Pit
(motor racing) An area at a racetrack used for refueling and repairing the vehicles during a race.
Two drivers have already gone into the pit this early in the race.
Nut
A perforated block (usually a small piece of metal), provided with an internal or female screw thread, used on a bolt, or screw, for tightening or holding something, or for transmitting motion. See Illust. of 1st Bolt.
Pit
(music) A section of the marching band containing mallet percussion instruments and other large percussion instruments too large to march, such as the tam tam. Also, the area on the sidelines where these instruments are placed.
Nut
The tumbler of a gunlock.
Pit
A mine.
Nut
A projection on each side of the shank of an anchor, to secure the stock in place.
Pit
(archaeology) A hole or trench in the ground, excavated according to grid coordinates, so that the provenance of any feature observed and any specimen or artifact revealed may be established by precise measurement.
Nut
Testicles.
Pit
(trading) A trading pit.
Nut
To gather nuts.
Pit
The bottom part of something.
I felt pain in the pit of my stomach.
Nut
Usually large hard-shelled seed
Pit
(colloquial) Armpit.
Nut
Egyptian goddess of the sky
Pit
(aviation) A luggage hold.
Nut
A small (usually square or hexagonal) metal block with internal screw thread to be fitted onto a bolt
Pit
(countable) A small surface hole or depression, a fossa.
Nut
Half the width of an em
Pit
The indented mark left by a pustule, as in smallpox.
Nut
A whimsically eccentric person
Pit
The grave, underworld or Hell.
Nut
Someone who is so ardently devoted to something that it resembles an addiction;
A golf addict
A car nut
A news junkie
Pit
An enclosed area into which gamecocks, dogs, and other animals are brought to fight, or where dogs are trained to kill rats.
Nut
One of the two male reproductive glands that produce spermatozoa and secrete androgens;
She kicked him in the balls and got away
Pit
Formerly, that part of a theatre, on the floor of the house, below the level of the stage and behind the orchestra; now, in England, commonly the part behind the stalls; in the United States, the parquet; also, the occupants of such a part of a theatre.
Nut
Gather nuts
Pit
(gambling) Part of a casino which typically holds tables for blackjack, craps, roulette, and other games.
Pit
(slang) A mosh pit.
Because the museum was closed for renovation, the school decided to bring its fourth-graders to the pit at a Cannibal Corpse gig instead.
Pit
(American football) The center of the line.
Pit
(hospital slang) The emergency department.
Pit
A bed.
Pit
(informal) An undesirable location, especially an unclean one.
This house is a total pit. We've got to get out of here!
Get back to the pit, dish bitch!
Pit
A seed inside a fruit; a stone or pip inside a fruit.
Pit
A shell in a drupe containing a seed.
Pit
(military) The core of an implosion nuclear weapon, consisting of the fissile material and any neutron reflector or tamper bonded to it.
Pit
(informal) A pit bull terrier.
Pit
(transitive) To make pits in; to mark with little hollows.
Exposure to acid rain pitted the metal.
Pit
(transitive) To put (an animal) into a pit for fighting.
Pit
(transitive) To bring (something) into opposition with something else.
Are you ready to pit your wits against one of the world's greatest puzzles?
Pit
To return to the pits during a race for refuelling, tyre changes, repairs etc.
Pit
(transitive) To remove the stone from a stone fruit or the shell from a drupe.
One must pit a peach to make it ready for a pie.
Pit
A large cavity or hole in the ground, either natural or artificial; a cavity in the surface of a body; an indentation
Tumble me into some loathsome pit.
Pit
Any abyss; especially, the grave, or hades.
Back to the infernal pit I drag thee chained.
He keepth back his soul from the pit.
Pit
A covered deep hole for entrapping wild beasts; a pitfall; hence, a trap; a snare. Also used figuratively.
The anointed of the Lord was taken in their pits.
Pit
A depression or hollow in the surface of the human body
Pit
Formerly, that part of a theater, on the floor of the house, below the level of the stage and behind the orchestra; now, in England, commonly the part behind the stalls; in the United States, the parquet; also, the occupants of such a part of a theater.
Pit
An inclosed area into which gamecocks, dogs, and other animals are brought to fight, or where dogs are trained to kill rats.
Pit
The endocarp of a drupe, and its contained seed or seeds; a stone; as, a peach pit; a cherry pit, etc.
Pit
To place or put into a pit or hole.
They lived like beasts, and were pitted like beasts, tumbled into the grave.
Pit
To mark with little hollows, as by various pustules; as, a face pitted by smallpox.
Pit
To introduce as an antagonist; to set forward for or in a contest; as, to pit one dog against another.
Pit
A sizeable hole (usually in the ground);
They dug a pit to bury the body
Pit
A concavity in a surface (especially an anatomical depression)
Pit
The hard inner (usually woody) layer of the pericarp of some fruits (as peaches or plums or cherries or olives) that contains the seed;
You should remove the stones from prunes before cooking
Pit
A trap in the form of a concealed hole
Pit
A surface excavation for extracting stone or slate;
A British term for `quarry' is `stone pit'
Pit
Lowered area in front of a stage where an orchestra accompanies the performers
Pit
A workplace consisting of a coal mine plus all the buildings and equipment connected with it
Pit
Set into opposition or rivalry;
Let them match their best athletes against ours
Pit a chess player against the Russian champion
He plays his two children off against each other
Pit
Mark with a scar;
The skin disease scarred his face permanently
Pit
Remove the pits from;
Pit plums and cherries
Common Curiosities
Can you eat the pit of a fruit?
Generally, pits are not eaten due to their hardness and potential toxicity, though some can be used for flavoring or planting.
What is a pit?
A pit is the hard inner casing that protects the seed of some fruits, such as peaches and cherries.
What is a nut?
A nut is a type of fruit that consists of a hard outer shell and a seed, often edible and nutritious.
Is it possible to plant a pit?
Yes, pits from fruits like peaches and plums can be planted to grow new trees.
Are all hard-shelled fruits considered nuts?
No, not all hard-shelled fruits are nuts; for example, drupes have pits that protect seeds but are not considered nuts.
What are some common uses for nuts in cooking?
Nuts are used in a variety of dishes, including baked goods, salads, and as snacks, either raw or roasted.
Are almonds nuts or seeds?
Botanically, almonds are seeds of the fruit of the almond tree, though they are commonly referred to as nuts.
Do all nuts have shells?
Yes, by definition, nuts have hard shells that encase their seeds, though the term is sometimes loosely used for seeds without shells.
What's the difference between a stone fruit and a nut?
Stone fruits have flesh surrounding a single pit or stone, while nuts are composed of a seed and a hard shell without surrounding flesh.
Why are nuts considered healthy?
Nuts contain proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, making them a nutritious part of the diet.
How do you differentiate between a pit and a nut?
A pit is the inner layer that encases a seed in certain fruits, while a nut is a fruit itself, characterized by a hard shell and a seed.
How are nuts harvested?
Nuts are typically harvested by shaking the trees, then collecting the fallen nuts and removing their outer husk or shell.
Can pits be toxic?
Some pits, like those of cherries and apricots, contain compounds that can release cyanide when ingested in large quantities, so caution is advised.
Are pits used in any products?
Apart from planting, some pits, like apricot kernels, are used to flavor foods or produce oil.
What's a popular nut in baking?
Almonds and pecans are popular in baking for their flavor and crunch.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
