live oak

[lahyv]

noun

1. an evergreen oak, Quercus virginiana, of the southern U.S., having a short, broad trunk and shiny, oblong leaves: the state tree of Georgia.

2. any of various related trees.

3. the hard, durable wood of any of these trees.

live oak

/ laɪv /

noun

1. a hard-wooded evergreen oak, Quercus virginianus, of S North America: used for shipbuilding

Word History and Origins

Origin of live oak¹

An Americanism dating back to 1600–10

Example Sentences

While California live oak trees are protected in Altadena, others emblematic to the area are not.

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Other residents and helpers have been showing up to give what they can, adding everything from aloe plants to coast live oak saplings to a 7-foot Aleppo pine someone had potted in a bucket.

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Green-roofed cabins housing hundreds of campers and staff dotted the area, which is lush with cypress and live oak trees.

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On Saturday morning, the volunteers spent hours pulling up the black mustard, focusing on a patch of land with five large coast live oaks.

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I offered my loneliness and heartbreak to the live oaks and sycamores, refuse they could make into something useful the same way they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.

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