hornbeam

American  

[hawrn-beem] / ˈhɔrnˌbim /

noun

1. any North American shrub or tree belonging to the genus Carpinus, of the birch family, yielding a hard, heavy wood, as C. caroliniana American hornbeam.

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hornbeam British  

/ ˈhɔːnˌbiːm /

noun

1. any tree of the betulaceous genus Carpinus, such as C. betulus of Europe and Asia, having smooth grey bark and hard white wood

2. the wood of any of these trees

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Etymology

Origin of hornbeam

First recorded in 1570–80; horn + beam

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hornbeam

Take the Hornbeam Trail, interspersed with the American hornbeam, a distinctive tree also called the musclewood — so named because the bark resembles rippling muscles.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 11, 2022

Hardman wanders through the wood and finds a small hornbeam, which is twisting up towards the light, struggling to make its way in the shade of a mature oak.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 14, 2020

A rectangle of hornbeam hedge circumscribes the area, its shape echoed by the central pergola.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2016

The garden is a palette of greens, with relatively few flowers, Mr. Hoyland said, built on four basic plants: yew, hornbeam, box and lime trees.

From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2012

He tried to put it out of his mind, and they set off together, crossing at the traffic lights and casting just one glance back at the window under the hornbeam trees.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

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