oak

[ ohk ]

noun

1. any tree or shrub belonging to the genus Quercus, of the beech family, bearing the acorn as fruit.
2. the hard, durable wood of an oak tree, used in making furniture and in construction.
3. Archaic. the leaves of an oak tree, especially as worn in a chaplet.

adjective

1. pertaining to or made of oak:

   an antique oak desk;

   heavy oak doors with double locks.

oak

/ əʊk /

noun

1. any deciduous or evergreen tree or shrub of the fagaceous genus Quercus, having acorns as fruits and lobed leaves See also holm oak cork oak red oak Turkey oak durmast quercine
2. 1. the wood of any of these trees, used esp as building timber and for making furniture
   2. ( as modifier )

      an oak table

3. any of various trees that resemble the oak, such as the poison oak, silky oak, and Jerusalem oak
4. 1. anything made of oak, esp a heavy outer door to a set of rooms in an Oxford or Cambridge college
   2. to shut this door as a sign one does not want visitors
5. the leaves of an oak tree, worn as a garland
6. the dark brownish colour of oak wood
7. any of various species of casuarina, such as desert oak, swamp oak, or she-oak

Other Words From

• oak·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of oak¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English ok(e), oc, Old English āc; cognate with Dutch eik, German Eiche, Old Icelandic eik; further origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of oak¹

Old English āc; related to Old Norse eik, Old High German eih, Latin aesculus

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. sport one's oak, British. (of a university student) to indicate that one is not at home to visitors by closing the outer door of one's lodgings.

Example Sentences

His father, a drama professor, and his mother, a playwright, would put on performances in a grove of oak trees behind the house every summer, in which young Francis performed.

From Time

North America contains the largest number of oak species, with a surprising diversity of 160 species in Mexico.

From Popular-Science

The day after our trip Davi joins Edward Cook to search again for the old oak trees.

From Popular-Science

I’m out with a chain saw cutting down the oak tree that I should have trimmed back two years ago.

From ProPublica

That means large coast live oak, rare flowering bushes and other plants could be ripped out when necessary.

From ProPublica

“The influence of the oak maturation casks on the final character of The Macallan is vital,” says MacPherson.

From The Daily Beast

Spanish oak, which has an open grain and high levels of tannin, gives you dried fruit, spice, and even chocolate flavors.

From The Daily Beast

They embraced as they ran down the list of Red Oak residents at the fair.

From The Daily Beast

All of the whisky used in both types of scotch must be matured in Scotland and aged for a minimum of three years in oak casks.

From The Daily Beast

Like bourbon, rye must be aged in charred oak barrels for at least two years.

From The Daily Beast

Isabel sat on the bench under an ancient oak for half an hour or more, but took no note of the time.

From Project Gutenberg

An oak gallery runs round two sides of the hall and descends in broad and gentle stairs down the right side of it.

From Project Gutenberg

My smithy lies yonder, beyond that turn of the road and behind the biggest oak tree in the country.

From Project Gutenberg

Dorothy lighted a candle, and led the way up the wide oak staircase at the bottom of the hall to the chambers above.

From Project Gutenberg

She led the way into a tiny parlour, very clean, very simple with its furniture of old oak and brass, and bade him sit.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• amphitheater
• arena
• auditorium
• cinema
• concert hall
• drama
• hall
• house
• movie
• movie house
• opera house
• playhouse
• room
• scene
• site
• theatre