 The name "chestnut" is derived from an earlier English term "chesten nut", which descends from the Old French word "chastain" (Modern French, "châtaigne").The French word in turn derives from Latin "Castanea" (also the scientific name of the tree), which traces to the Ancient Greek word κάστανον (sweet chestnut).A possible source of the Greek word is the ancient town of Kastanea in Thessaly.