Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
HAZEL
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English hasel, from Old English hæsel; akin to Old High German hasal hazel, Latin corulus Date: before 12th century any of a genus ( Corylus and especially the American C. americana and the European C. avellana ) of shrubs or small trees of the birch family bearing nuts enclosed in a leafy involucre, a light brown to strong yellowish brown,
II. adjective
Date: 14th century
consisting of hazels or of the wood of the hazel,
2. of the color hazel, of a variable color averaging light greenish-grayish brown