water oak

American  

noun

1. an oak, Quercus nigra, of the southern U.S., growing chiefly along streams and swamps.

2. any of several other American oaks of similar habit.

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Etymology

Origin of water oak

An Americanism dating back to 1680–90

Example Sentences

“We have water oaks with shallow root systems. Any gust of wind can take them down.”

From New York Times

On Saturday, lots of homes around Lafayette saw near misses of fallen tree limbs, severed branches and uprooted water oaks.

From New York Times

The children crouched on the limbs of a water oak that grew outside Mary Anne’s window, listened to their mother’s laughter, and tried to interpret its meaning.

From Literature

Cunningham pauses our regatta to point out a barely perceptible elevation change — rod-straight loblolly pines, sweetgums and water oak are clustered on slightly higher ground while bald cypresses and tupelos are partly submerged.

From Washington Post

A water oak fell into a corner of their house, but they didn’t care.

From Washington Times