beech

noun

plural beeches or beech
: any of a genus (Fagus of the family Fagaceae, the beech family) of hardwood trees with smooth gray bark and small edible nuts
also : its wood
beechen adjective

Examples of beech in a Sentence

a box made of beech
Recent Examples on the Web The room is now lighter and brighter, with walls sheathed in rippling beech wood and the stage clad in white oak. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2023 It’s made from natural beech wood and can be used as a cutting board and a breadboard. Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2023 This basket has comfortable beech wood handles and is thoughtfully designed with double layers of galvanized steel wire to ensure durability and rust resistance. Ebony Roberts, wsj.com, 17 Oct. 2023 The Design Within Reach Salt Chair is made of sturdy solid beech wood and can support up to 253 pounds. Samantha S. Thorpe, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2023 Logging and deforestation are threatening beech trees, some nearly 500 years old, along the rugged slopes of the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. Josh Ocampo, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2024 The thick sycamore leaf is the toughest, the beech is soft, ruckled, with tiny hairs like a downy skin, whilst the hawthorn is as coarse, textured, and dense as the silver birch is thin and slippery cool. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2023 But short of a catastrophe, Don’s beech will continue providing comfort and delight, and the oak will remain standing and climbing. Catie Marron, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2023 Tencel Tencel, also known as lyocell, is a fully biodegradable fabric made from wood pulp, typically sourced from eucalyptus, beech, or spruce trees which are solvents. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 31 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beech.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English beche, from Old English bēce; akin to Old English bōc beech, Old High German buohha, Latin fagus, Greek phēgos oak

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beech was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near beech

Cite this Entry

“Beech.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beech. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

beech

noun
plural beeches or beech
: any of a genus of trees with smooth gray bark and small edible nuts
also : its wood
beechen adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on beech

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