beech
Syllabification: (beech)
Pronunciation: /bēCH/
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Definition of beech
noun
(also beech tree)- a large tree with smooth gray bark, glossy leaves, and hard, pale, fine-grained timber. Its fruit, the beechnut, is an important food for numerous wild birds and mammals.
- Genera Fagus (of the north temperate zone) and Notofagus (the southern beeches, of Australasia and South America), family Fagaceae: many species, especially the common American beech (F. grandifolia) and the European beech (F. sylvatica)
Origin:
Old English bēce, of Germanic origin; related to book and to Latin fagus 'beech', Greek phagos 'edible oak'