Hazel \Ha"zel\, n. [OE. hasel, AS. h[ae]sel; akin to D. hazelaar, G. hazel, OHG. hasal, hasala, Icel. hasl, Dan & Sw. hassel, L. corylus, for cosylus.]

1. (Bot.) A shrub or small tree of the genus Corylus, as the C. avellana, bearing a nut containing a kernel of a mild, farinaceous taste; the filbert. The American species are C. Americana, which produces the common hazelnut, and C. rostrata. See Filbert. --Gray.

2. A miner's name for freestone. --Raymond.

Hazel earth, soil suitable for the hazel; a fertile loam.

Hazel grouse (Zo["o]l.), a European grouse (Bonasa betulina), allied to the American ruffed grouse.

Hazel hoe, a kind of grub hoe.

Witch hazel. See Witch-hazel, and Hamamelis.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)