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).

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived 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

Will Beech join forces with them to solve the crime while sparking a romance with a handsome local cop?

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Olivia Beech, America’s youngest female sommelier, tragically lost her sense of taste during COVID, but relied on her sharp sense of smell until she was fired for her deception.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

The first stint ended in July 2016, when Krispy Kreme was acquired by JAB Beech to end about a 16-year run as a public company.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

Now he’s the chairman of J&M Copper Beech Ventures, a multi-strategy investment fund, according to his biography on Micron’s corporate site.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 16, 2026

Necrosis is often due to frost, which kills the cortex of Pears, Beech, etc., in patches of this kind.

From Disease in Plants by Ward, H. Marshall