beech

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

beech, n. [OE. beche, AS. bce; akin to D. beuk, OHG. buocha, G. buche, Icel. beyki, Dan. bög, Sw. bok, Russ. buk, L. fagus, Gr. oak, to eat, Skr. bhaksh; the tree being named originally from the esculent fruit. See Book, and cf. 7th Buck, Buckwheat.].

 A tree of the genus Fagus.  [1913 Webster]
" It grows to a large size, having a smooth bark and thick foliage, and bears an edible triangular nut, of which swine are fond. The Fagus sylvatica is the European species, and the Fagus ferruginea that of America."  [1913 Webster]

Beech drops (Bot.), a parasitic plant which grows on the roots of beeches (Epiphegus Americana). -- Beech marten (Zoöl.), the stone marten of Europe (Mustela foina). -- Beech mast, the nuts of the beech, esp. as they lie under the trees, in autumn. -- Beech oil, oil expressed from the mast or nuts of the beech tree. -- Cooper beech, a variety of the European beech with copper-colored, shining leaves.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

beech, n.
1 any large forest tree of the genus Fagus, having smooth grey bark and glossy leaves.
2 (also beechwood) its wood.
3 Austral. any of various similar trees in Australia.

Idiom

beech-fern a fern, Thelypteris phagopteris, found in damp woods. beech-marten a white-breasted marten, Martes foina, of S. Europe and Asia.

Derivative

beechy adj.

Etymology

OE bece f. Gmc