beech
beech Lexical Profile
beech Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A large deciduous forest tree of the genus Fagus, characterized by smooth, silvery-gray bark, glossy elliptical leaves, and small edible triangular nuts.
"The children carved their initials into the smooth bark of the massive old beech standing in the center of the forest."
The hard, pale, fine-grained timber of the beech tree, widely used in woodworking, furniture making, and flooring.
"The carpenter selected a solid slab of steamed beech to construct the dining room chairs."
Word Nuance & Usage
Care should be taken in writing not to confuse 'beech' (a type of tree or wood) with its common homophone 'beach' (a sandy shoreline).
• Rhymes for beech
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'bēce', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'beuk' and German 'Buche'. It shares a root with the word 'book', as early Germanic runic writings were often inscribed on beechwood tablets.