Oak
[əʊk] or [ok]
Definition
(noun.) a deciduous tree of the genus Quercus; has acorns and lobed leaves; 'great oaks grow from little acorns'.
(noun.) the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring.
Inputed by Angela--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) Any tree or shrub of the genus Quercus. The oaks have alternate leaves, often variously lobed, and staminate flowers in catkins. The fruit is a smooth nut, called an acorn, which is more or less inclosed in a scaly involucre called the cup or cupule. There are now recognized about three hundred species, of which nearly fifty occur in the United States, the rest in Europe, Asia, and the other parts of North America, a very few barely reaching the northern parts of South America and Africa. Many of the oaks form forest trees of grand proportions and live many centuries. The wood is usually hard and tough, and provided with conspicuous medullary rays, forming the silver grain.
(n.) The strong wood or timber of the oak.
Checker: Lucille
Definition
n. a tree of about 300 species the most famous the British oak valued for its timber in shipbuilding &c.—ns. Oak′-app′le a spongy substance on the leaves of the oak caused by insects—also Oak′leaf-gall; Oak′-bark the bark of some species of oak used in tanning.—adjs. Oak′-cleav′ing (Shak.) cleaving oaks; Oak′en consisting or made of oak.—ns. Oak′-gall a gall produced on the oak; Oak′-leath′er a fungus mycelium in the fissures of old oaks; Oak′ling a young oak; Oak′-pā′per paper for wall-hangings veined like oak.—adj. Oak′y like oak firm.—Oak-apple Day the 29th of May the anniversary of the Restoration in 1660 when country boys used to wear oak-apples in commemoration of Charles II. skulking in the branches of an oak (the Royal Oak) from Cromwell's troopers after Worcester.—Sport one's oak in English university slang to signify that one does not wish visitors by closing the outer door of one's rooms; The Oaks one of the three great English races—for mares—the others being the Derby and St Leger.
Edited by Janet
Unserious Contents or Definition
To dream of seeing a forest of oaks, signifies great prosperity in all conditions of life. To see an oak full of acorns, denotes increase and promotion. If blasted oak, it denotes sudden and shocking surprises. For sweethearts to dream of oaks, denotes that they will soon begin life together under favorable circumstances.
Checked by Delores
Examples
- A departure was early made in the matter of strengthening the ribs of oak to better meet the strains from the rough seas. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
- The forest of oak trees on the mountain beyond the town was gone. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- Beautifully finished furniture in quartered oak has always excited the pleasure, and piqued the curiosity of the uninformed as to how this result is obtained. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- She pinched her husband's arm as they entered the oak parlour, where Sir Pitt and his wife were ready to receive them. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- I had, then, to find where the far end of the shadow would fall when the sun was just clear of the oak. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- The oak staircase creaks somewhat as I descend, but not much:--I am in the carré. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- Hearts of oak! Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- This door also was composed of solid oak, and was bolted at the top and bottom on the vestry side. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Payne put a wire in the binding-post of the battery, the motor started, and an assistant began sawing a heavy oak log. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- It is erected on a solid masonry pillar 14 by 7 feet at the base, which carries on its top, on trunnions, an oak beam 20 feet long and 12 by 14 inches thick. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- He despatched a groom, on horseback, for the nearest medical man, Mr. Dawson, of Oak Lodge. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- There were two guides given us to start with, an oak and an elm. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- That large decayed oak, he said, marks the boundaries over which Front-de-Boeuf claims authority--we are long since far from those of Malvoisin. Walter Scott. Ivanhoe.
- Some hours ago she passed me, coming down the oak staircase to the hall. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- As to the oak there could be no question at all. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- Caroline looked at the wicket-gate, beside which holly-oaks spired up tall. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- The rivers flowed with wine and milk: The oaks yielded honey; and nature spontaneously produced her greatest delicacies. David Hume. A Treatise of Human Nature.
- The very oldest of the trees, gnarled mighty oaks, crowd about the brink of this dell. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- About an hour's ride over a rough, rocky road, half flooded with water, and through a forest of oaks of Bashan, brought us to Dan. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Here, in a thicket of stunted oaks, her verandahs spread themselves above the island-dotted waters. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- The little township of Bashan was once the kingdom so famous in Scripture for its bulls and its oaks. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- They turned cautiously round, and were advancing between the oaks of the forest, down a green lane. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- A pleasant green field, with three wide-spreading oaks in the middle and a smooth strip of turf for croquet. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- From the mountain's peak its broken turrets rise above the groves of ancient oaks and olives, and look wonderfully picturesque. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
Editor: Ronda