beech Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any of several large deciduous trees with rounded spreading crowns and smooth grey bark and small sweet edible triangular nuts enclosed in burs; north temperate regions
    beech tree.
  2. noun wood of any of various beech trees; used for flooring and containers and plywood and tool handles
    beechwood.

WordNet

Beech noun
Etymology
OE. beche, AS. bce; akin to D. beuk, OHG. buocha, G. buche, Icel. beyki, Dan. bög, Sw. bok, Russ. buk, L. fagus, Gr. oak, to eat, Skr. bhaksh; the tree being named originally from the esculent fruit. See Book, and cf. 7th Buck, Buckwheat.
Wordforms
plural Beeches
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A tree of the genus Fagus. ✍ It grows to a large size, having a smooth bark and thick foliage, and bears an edible triangular nut, of which swine are fond. The Fagus sylvatica is the European species, and the F. ferruginea that of America.

Webster 1913