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

• 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

The texture of the Pooh stories then grew organically from the surrounding beech woods and the bridge over the Poohsticks stream.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Introduced species are wreaking havoc due to similar lack of evolved defenses in the American beech, many amphibian species and North American bats of different kinds.

From Salon • Jun. 15, 2025

The Heart of the Dalkowskie Hills, a breathtaking 300-year-old beech, has won Poland the European Tree of the Year award for the fourth consecutive time.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2025

The results showed that mixed forests with beech and Douglas fir have enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem functioning while improving the economic performance compared to monocultures of beech.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2024

They sat among a grove of smooth-barked beech trees, a day’s walk north of Paris.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz