hornbeam

[ hawrn-beem ]

/ ˈhɔrnˌbim /

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).

Nearby words

horn-mad, horn-rimmed, horn-rims, horn-spread, hornbag, hornbeam, hornbill, hornblende, hornblende schist, hornbook, hornby

Origin of hornbeam

First recorded in 1570–80; horn + beam

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hornbeam

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
Hornbeam meets these requirements exactly, and doubtless the Indian found this out by experience.
American Forest Trees|Henry H. Gibson
Tufted spleenwort, primroses, and broom tangle the hedges under boughs of hornbeam and sweet-chestnut.
The Story of Siena and San Gimignano|Edmund G. Gardner
Tufted spleen-wort, primroses, and broom tangle the hedges under boughs of hornbeam and sweet-chestnut.
New Italian sketches|John Addington Symonds

Any ladies that please may have their own effigies in Myrtle, or their husbands in Hornbeam.
The plant-lore and garden-craft of Shakespeare|Henry Nicholson Ellacombe
Hornbeam may, therefore, be listed among woods which have little or no figure.
American Forest Trees|Henry H. Gibson

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

Word Origin and History for hornbeam

hornbeam

1570s, from horn (n.) + beam (n.), preserving the original sense of the latter word; so called in reference to its hard wood.