bur oak

noun

1. an oak tree, Quercus macrocarpa, of eastern North America, having shiny, dark-green leaves, light-gray deeply ridged bark, and very large acorns with a fringed cup, yielding a hard, durable wood: the state tree of Illinois.

bur oak

noun

1. an E North American oak, Quercus macrocarpa , having fringed acorn cups and durable timber

Word History and Origins

Origin of bur oak¹

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

Here, with the help of their nearest neighbors, they built in a day a cabin of rough, bur-oak logs.

From Project Gutenberg

In the flats of southeastern Indiana it is generally called white oak, and in some places it is known as bur oak.

From Project Gutenberg

This species in some localities is called iron oak, and in Gibson County on the sand dune area it is called sand bur oak.

From Project Gutenberg

Medium sized trees; bark generally intermediate between that of the swamp white and bur oak; leaves on petioles 5-30 mm.

From Project Gutenberg

The bur oak seems to be striving to produce the same thing and probably will succeed after awhile.

From Project Gutenberg