cork oak

American  

[kawrk ohk] / ˈkɔrk ˌoʊk /

noun

1. an evergreen oak tree, Quercus suber, found especially in the western Mediterranean region: commercially significant as the source of cork.

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cork oak British  

noun

1. Also called: cork tree.  an evergreen Mediterranean oak tree, Quercus suber, with a porous outer bark from which cork is obtained

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Etymology

Origin of cork oak

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Cork comes from the bark of cork oak trees, which can live for hundreds of years.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2024

Sarg recommends encountering cork oak in Chavez Ravine and Larchmont Village.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2023

However, I must share what fourth-generation woodworker Lou Sarg told me about cork oak, the bark of which is what cork — as in wine and whiskey bottle corks — is made of.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2023

This volume’s handsome plates feature forthright, detailed drawings; you can almost feel the sheen on the acorns of the cork oak or the shaggy surface of the Bristlecone fir.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2017

Sardinia possesses a cork oak, which yields 13 to 14 per cent.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 803, May 23, 1891 by Various