BEECH

beech, beech tree

(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, beechwood

(noun) wood of any of various beech trees; used for flooring and containers and plywood and tool handles

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

beech (plural beeches)

A tree of the genus Fagus having a smooth, light grey trunk, oval, pointed leaves and many branches.

The wood of the beech tree.

Synonyms

• beech tree

Proper noun

Beech (countable and uncountable, plural Beeches)

A village in Hampshire, England.

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Beech is the 7955^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 4160 individuals. Beech is most common among White (86.88%) individuals.

Source: Wiktionary

Beech, n.; pl. Beeches. Etym: [OE. beche, AS. b; 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.] (Bot.)

Definition: A tree of the genus Fagus.

Note: 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. Beech drops (Bot.), a parasitic plant which grows on the roots of beeches (Epiphegus Americana).

– Beech marten (Zoöl.), the stone marten of Europe (Mustela foina).

– Beech mast, the nuts of the beech, esp. as they lie under the trees, in autumn.

– Beech oil, oil expressed from the mast or nuts of the beech tree.

– Cooper beech, a variety of the European beech with copper- colored, shining leaves.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition