Nutmeg State
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The nickname of Connecticut. The story is that the inhabitants at one time manufactured wooden nutmegs for export.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Nutmeg State” mean?
The nickname of Connecticut. The story is that the inhabitants at one time manufactured wooden nutmegs for export.
Is “Nutmeg State” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.