hornbeam

[ hawrn-beem ]

/ ˈhɔrnˌbim /

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noun

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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Origin of hornbeam

First recorded in 1570–80; horn + beam

Words nearby hornbeam

hormone replacement therapy, hormones, Hormuz, horn, hornbag, hornbeam, hornbill, hornblende, hornblende schist, hornbook, Hornby

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hornbeam in a sentence

The maple trees in Westminster Abbey represent modesty and the hornbeam trees represent resilience.
What's with the Trees?|Tom Sykes|April 29, 2011|DAILY BEAST
One old hornbeam-tree is pointed out as the only tree that escaped destruction.
St. Nicholas, Vol. 5, No. 5, March, 1878|Various
By these hornbeam trees a little streamlet flows out from the copse and under the road by a culvert.
The Hills and the Vale|Richard Jefferies
Ascham recommended for men of average strength arrows made of birch, hornbeam, oak, and ash.
Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 99, September 20, 1851|Various

Those who played had to wear leaves of the hornbeam-tree, and these were to be kept fresh, under penalty of a fine.
Miscellanea|Juliana Horatia Ewing
The maple, the ash, the hornbeam, the elm and the birch have yet another method of escape from the home acre.
Little Masterpieces of Science:|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hornbeam

hornbeam

/ (ˈhɔːnˌbiːm) /

noun

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

the wood of any of these trees

Brit equivalent: ironwood

Word Origin for hornbeam

C14: from horn + beam, referring to its tough wood

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012