beech

American  

[beech] / bitʃ /

noun

beeches plural

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• beeches
  plural

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

See Examples For:

beech beeches

The couple watched as a contractor for the local utility company methodically lopped off big sections of the beech outside their home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

It is April, my favorite month in the corner of South West England where I live, when the beech woods explode with wild bluebells and the star-headed flowers of wild garlic ripple in the breeze.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026

Across the river on a span built by Romans and following the path through firs and beech, we soon reach a bend where the Irati turns back south.

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025

Pollmeier in Germany, for example, has BauBuche – a laminated veneer lumber, very thin layers of wood pressed and glued together – made using beech.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2025

Nothing is so comfortable to sit in as a beech.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Multiple trees, including three of the famous Dark Hedges beeches, were damaged in the storm leaving some roads impassable.

From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2024

Mr. Cojocaru had grown up in Nucsoara, but only as he walked the hills and ancient pastures did he notice the trees: beeches, phantasmagorically gnarled giants, some as old as 500 years.

From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2024

Oaks and beeches are closely related to evergreen trees, which are known for a commitment to their needles year-round.

From Slate ● Dec. 5, 2023

So far, researchers haven’t identified a practical, cost-effective treatment for the disease, although some beeches appear to be resistant.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 10, 2021

The memory jumps again to the Chevrolet grumbling down a dirt road, lined on both sides with beeches and mulberry trees.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri