bur oak

noun

: a usually large oak (Quercus macrocarpa) of eastern North America having oval acorns enclosed in a fringed cap and tough close-grained wood

Examples of bur oak in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For some trees, that has meant evolving the capacity to resist droughts — to extract tremendous amounts of water from seemingly bone-dry soil — a bur oak, for example. Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 13 Sep. 2024 Results for the southern bur oak, while more mixed, were also generally better than the northern bur oak. Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024 This year, six tree types are available: bur oak, American elm, sycamore, Shumard oak, Mexican plum and lacebark elm. Noor Adatia, Dallas News, 6 Sep. 2023 As for white oaks, there are more than a dozen, including the bur oak, chestnut oak, swamp white, and post oak, but the one most people think of carries the same name as the group in general: white oak. Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 20 July 2023 See all Example Sentences for bur oak 

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bur oak was in 1815

Dictionary Entries Near bur oak

Cite this Entry

“Bur oak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bur%20oak. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on bur oak

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!