Beech

Pronunciation

• enPR: bÄ“ch, IPA: /biːt͡ʃ/
• Rhymes: -iːtʃ
• Homophones: beach

Origin

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.

Full definition of beech

Noun

1. A tree of the genus Fagus having a smooth, light grey trunk, oval, pointed leaves and many branches.
• 1907, w, The Dust of Conflict Chapter 1, A beech wood with silver firs in it rolled down the face of the hill, and the maze of leafless twigs and dusky spires cut sharp against the soft blueness of the evening sky.
2. The wood of the beech tree.

Synonyms

• beech tree

Derived terms

• common beech
• European beech