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beech

(bēch)

a. Any of various deciduous trees of the genus Fagus having smooth gray bark, alternate simple leaves, and three-sided nuts enclosed in prickly burs, including F. sylvatica of Europe and its many cultivated forms, and F. grandifolia of eastern North America.

b. The wood of any of these trees, used for flooring, containers, plywood, and tool handles.

2. See southern beech.

[Middle English beche, from Old English bēce; see bhāgo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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beech

American beech

Fagus grandifolia

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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