oak

American  

[ohk] / oʊk /

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.

idioms

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

oak British  

/ 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

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 Word Forms

• oaklike adjective

Etymology

Origin of oak

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

Example Sentences

The expansive living room has elegant oak wood flooring, and the chef’s kitchen offers a chic and minimalist design with gray cabinets, modern appliances, and marble countertops.

From MarketWatch

Aged in stainless steel and neutral oak, it’s dry and well-balanced, with a bright but not overly assertive acidity, deft minerality and pleasingly delicate persistence in the mouth.

From The Wall Street Journal

Chaparral ecosystems, including the shrubby plants and oak trees that cover the Santa Monica Mountains, have historically experienced fire every 30 to 130 years — primarily due to lightning strikes.

From Los Angeles Times

The oak refectory tables and benches, crafted by Robert "Mouseman" Thompson and featuring his trademark mice carvings, had been donated by former pupils.

From BBC

And since it typically spends little or no time in new oak barrels, all its flavors are fruit, not oak.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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