beech

American  

[beech] / bitʃ /

noun

1. any deciduous tree of the genus Fagus, of temperate regions, having a smooth gray bark and bearing small, edible, triangular nuts.

2. Also called beechwood.  the wood from a beech tree of the genus Fagus, including the commonly cultivated European beech.

3. any member of the beech family (Fagaceae).

---

beech British  

/ biːtʃ /

noun

1. any N temperate tree of the genus Fagus , esp F. sylvatica of Europe, having smooth greyish bark: family Fagaceae

2. any tree of the related genus Nothofagus , of temperate Australasia and South America

3. the hard wood of any of these trees, used in making furniture, etc

4. See copper beech

---

Other Word Forms

• beechen adjective
• beechy adjective

Etymology

Origin of beech

First recorded before 900; Middle English beche, Old English bēce, bōce, from Proto-Germanic bōkjōn-; akin to Old Saxon, Middle Low German boke, Dutch beuk, Old High German buohha ( German Buche ), Old Norse bōk, Latin fāgus “beech,” Doric Greek phāgós “oak,” Albanian bung “oak” (apparently not akin to book )

Example Sentences

Miss Myrt stretched a beech switch up there, about four foot long, very supple and whippy.

From Literature

The young beech tree was still moaning, but it hadn’t long to live.

From Literature

A few yellow beech leaves showered them as they went.

From Literature

The texture of the Pooh stories then grew organically from the surrounding beech woods and the bridge over the Poohsticks stream.

From The Wall Street Journal

Across the river on a span built by Romans and following the path through firs and beech, we soon reach a bend where the Irati turns back south.

From Salon