oak
[ohk]
- 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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- 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.
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Origin of oak
before 900; Middle English ook, Old English āc; cognate with Dutch eik, German Eiche
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for oak
Contemporary Examples
“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
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
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.
The time the wine spends on oak in the barrel is important to the balance of the wine.
Oak, great balance and a good finish with stone fruits and just enough oak to round the wine to a silky smooth feel on the palate.
Historical Examples
I know the beech and the maple, and some kinds of oak, but there my wood lore ends.
In the Midst of AlarmsRobert Barr
Hetty struggled once more to free herself, but the arms were like arms of oak.
Hetty's Strange HistoryAnonymous
It is built of oak framework, filled in with “wattle and daub.”
English VillagesP. H. Ditchfield
I have a notion that it's the Marquis and that he'll be in the Oak Parlour.
The Inn at the Red OakLatta Griswold
With gun in hand he crept up to the nearest window of the Oak Parlour.
The Inn at the Red OakLatta Griswold
oak
- 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 oakto 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
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Word Origin
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
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Word Origin and History for oak
n.
Old English ac "oak tree," from Proto-Germanic *aiks (cf. Old Norse eik, Old Saxon and Old Frisian ek, Middle Dutch eike, Dutch eik, Old High German eih, German Eiche), of uncertain origin with no certain cognates outside Germanic.
The usual Indo-European base for "oak" (*derwo-/*dreu-) has become Modern English tree. Used in Biblical translations to render Hebrew elah (probably usually "terebinth tree") and four other words. The Old Norse form was eik, but as there were no oaks in Iceland the word came to be used there for "tree" in general.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper