Beech Definition
bēch
beeches
noun
beeches
Any of various deciduous trees of the genus Fagus having smooth gray bark, alternate simple leaves, and three-sided nuts enclosed in prickly burs, including F. sylvatica of Europe and its many cultivated forms, and F. grandifolia of eastern North America.
American Heritage
Any of a genus (Fagus) of trees of the beech family, with smooth, gray bark, hard wood, dark-green leaves, and edible three-cornered nuts.
Webster's New World
The wood of any of these trees, used for flooring, containers, plywood, and tool handles.
American Heritage
The wood of the trees of this genus.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
adjective
Designating a family (Fagaceae, order Fagales) of dicotyledonous trees, including the oaks and chestnuts.
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Beech
Noun
Singular:
beech
Plural:
beechesOrigin of Beech
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From Middle English beche, from Old English bēċe, from Proto-Germanic *bōkijǭ (compare Dutch beuk, German Buche, Danish bøg), from Proto-Germanic *bōks (“beech; book”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵos (“beech tree”), same source as Latin fāgus (“beech”), Russian бузина (buziná, “elder”), Ancient Greek φηγός (phēgos, “oak”). More at book.
From Wiktionary
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Middle English beche from Old English bēce bhāgo- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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