Word
beech
US/ˈbitʃ/
UK/bˈiːtʃ/
Definition
n. a large forest tree with smooth, grey bark and small nuts. It is common in many parts of the world and is often used for making furniture.
n. a large deciduous tree of the genus Fagus, characterised by smooth silvery-grey bark and small edible nuts known as mast. Refers to both the living organism and the hard, pale timber it produces.
Examples
“The old beech tree provides plenty of shade in the garden.”
“The forest floor was covered in a thick layer of copper-coloured leaves from the surrounding beech trees.”
“Artisans often prefer beech for kitchenware because the wood is hard, heavy, and lacks a strong odour or taste that could transfer to food.”
Examples
simple
“The old beech tree provides plenty of shade in the garden.”
contextual
“The forest floor was covered in a thick layer of copper-coloured leaves from the surrounding beech trees.”
complex
“Artisans often prefer beech for kitchenware because the wood is hard, heavy, and lacks a strong odour or taste that could transfer to food.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the wood as a material; countable when referring to the tree species or individual trees.
Real-World Examples
“There were groves of deciduous trees, a wood of ghostly birch, and a 350-year-old beech at the very end of the grounds.” “Fire spread from a blazing van on the A31 on 9 August, destroying ancient oak and beech trees, rare heathland and wildlife across an area of more than 100 hectares .” Etymology
From Middle English beche, from Old English bēċe, from Proto-West Germanic *bōkijā (“beech”). Doublet of buky. Related to English book.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/beech