scrub oak

American  

noun

1. any of several oaks, as Quercus ilicifolia and Q. prinoides, characterized by a scrubby manner of growth, usually found in dry, rocky soil.

---

Etymology

Origin of scrub oak

An Americanism dating back to 1760–70

Example Sentences

With wild scrub oak and big, red sandstone formations, it looks like something from a John Wayne western.

From National Geographic • Jun. 29, 2018

Spent an hour getting scratched up by scrub oak and thorns looking for David’s drone that he crashed.

From Slate • Jan. 3, 2018

Then, it was just a small cabin, hidden beneath lady's slippers and scrub oak on his 175-acre plot of land.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2015

Here’s the original clubhouse: And here’s the tennis court:    The Links went dormant during the Depression and the Second World War, and they became overgrown with Chappy's newest residents: scrub oak and pitch pine.

From Golf Digest • Oct. 16, 2013

He sat under a scrub oak and picked up acorns from the ground around him.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko