oak

[ ohk ]

/ oʊk /

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noun

any tree or shrub belonging to the genus Quercus, of the beech family, bearing the acorn as fruit.

the hard, durable wood of such a tree, used in making furniture and in construction.

the leaves of this tree, especially as worn in a chaplet.

anything made of the wood of this tree, as an item of furniture, a door, etc.

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Idioms about oak

sport one's oak, British. (of a university student) to indicate that one is not at home to visitors by closing the outer door of one's lodgings.

Origin of oak

before 900; Middle English ook,Old English āc; cognate with Dutch eik,German Eiche

OTHER WORDS FROM oak

oaklike, adjective

Words nearby oak

O2O, OA, oaf, oafish, Oahu, oak, oak apple, Oak-apple Day, Oak Creek, Oakdale, oaked

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

How to use oak in a sentence

His father, a drama professor, and his mother, a playwright, would put on performances in a grove of oak trees behind the house every summer, in which young Francis performed.
NIH Director Francis Collins Is Fighting This Coronavirus While Preparing for the Next One|Belinda Luscombe|February 4, 2021|Time
North America contains the largest number of oak species, with a surprising diversity of 160 species in Mexico.
13 edible plants you can still find in the winter|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 1, 2020|Popular-Science
The day after our trip Davi joins Edward Cook to search again for the old oak trees.
We didn’t track hurricanes hundreds of years ago—but trees did|Greta Moran|October 16, 2020|Popular-Science
I’m out with a chain saw cutting down the oak tree that I should have trimmed back two years ago.
What the Photos of Wildfires and Smoke Don’t Show You|by Elizabeth Weil and Lisa Larson-Walker|September 21, 2020|ProPublica

That means large coast live oak, rare flowering bushes and other plants could be ripped out when necessary.
Oil Companies Are Profiting From Illegal Spills. And California Lets Them.|by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun, and Lylla Younes, ProPublica|September 18, 2020|ProPublica
“The influence of the oak maturation casks on the final character of The Macallan is vital,” says MacPherson.
How Much Do Whisky Casks Really Affect Taste?||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Spanish oak, which has an open grain and high levels of tannin, gives you dried fruit, spice, and even chocolate flavors.
How Much Do Whisky Casks Really Affect Taste?||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They embraced as they ran down the list of Red Oak residents at the fair.
Joni Ernst's Big Pivot: From Pig Castrator to Iowa Nice|Ben Jacobs|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All of the whisky used in both types of scotch must be matured in Scotland and aged for a minimum of three years in oak casks.
Don't Be a Single-Malt Scotch Snob|Kayleigh Kulp|August 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like bourbon, rye must be aged in charred oak barrels for at least two years.
Why Rye Is The Nation's Spirit, And Why No One Can Get It|Kayleigh Kulp|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Isabel sat on the bench under an ancient oak for half an hour or more, but took no note of the time.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
An oak gallery runs round two sides of the hall and descends in broad and gentle stairs down the right side of it.
First Plays|A. A. Milne
My smithy lies yonder, beyond that turn of the road and behind the biggest oak tree in the country.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
Dorothy lighted a candle, and led the way up the wide oak staircase at the bottom of the hall to the chambers above.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
She led the way into a tiny parlour, very clean, very simple with its furniture of old oak and brass, and bade him sit.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke

British Dictionary definitions for oak

oak

/ (əʊk) /

noun

any deciduous or evergreen tree or shrub of the fagaceous genus Quercus, having acorns as fruits and lobed leavesSee also holm oak, cork oak, red oak, Turkey oak, durmast Related adjective: quercine

the wood of any of these trees, used esp as building timber and for making furniture
(as modifier)an oak table

any of various trees that resemble the oak, such as the poison oak, silky oak, and Jerusalem oak

anything made of oak, esp a heavy outer door to a set of rooms in an Oxford or Cambridge college
sport one's oak to shut this door as a sign one does not want visitors

the leaves of an oak tree, worn as a garland

the dark brownish colour of oak wood

Australian any of various species of casuarina, such as desert oak, swamp oak, or she-oak

Word Origin for oak

Old English āc; related to Old Norse eik, Old High German eih, Latin aesculus

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