oak

oak — noun

1. a tall, long-living tree found across Europe, North America, and other cooler re

1.nounB2
Definition

a tall, long-living tree found across Europe, North America, and other cooler regions, which grows small seeds called acorns; also the strong, heavy wood from this tree, often used to build floors, doors, and furniture.

Example

A huge oak stood in the middle of Grandma Iris's back garden.

countable: 'a/an + oak' refers to the tree

Squirrels were busy gathering acorns under the old oaks in the park.

plural 'oaks' for several trees

Common collocations
  • ancient oak
  • oak tree
  • oak leaves
  • solid oak
  • oak panelling

Grammar Patterns

an oak (tree)

made of oak

Usage Note

Countable when you mean the tree (an oak, two oaks); uncountable when you mean the wood (a chair made of oak, NOT 'made of an oak'). 'Oak tree' and plain 'oak' both work for the tree; English speakers often add 'tree' to avoid confusion with the wood.

Common Mistakes

The shelf is made of an oak.
The shelf is made of oak.
when you mean the material, oak is uncountable and takes no article.
There are many oak in the forest.
There are many oaks in the forest.
for several trees, use the plural 'oaks'.
Idioms

mighty oaks from little acorns grow

idiom

a saying meaning that very large or important results can begin from very small starts.

When the bakery opened with just three cakes a day, Grandpa smiled and said, 'Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.'

great/tall oaks from little acorns grow

idiom

This means that big and successful things often start from very small beginnings.

Maya's small bakery became a chain; truly, great oaks from little acorns grow.

Don't ignore small ideas—remember that tall oaks from little acorns grow.

Word family

  • oaken
    adjectiveC2

Common collocations

Nouns

  • oak tree
  • oak leaf
  • oak floor
  • oak door
  • oak beam
  • oak barrel
  • oak panelling
  • oak furniture

Phrases

  • mighty oak
  • ancient oak
  • solid oak
  • English oak
  • white oak
  • red oak

Prepositions

  • made of oak
  • under the oak

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

From Old English 'ac', the everyday word for the oak tree, with cousins in Old Norse 'eik' and Old High German 'eih'. These all trace back to a shared Germanic root, suggesting the tree was important to early Germanic peoples for its acorns, durable timber, and long life. The spelling shifted to 'oke' in Middle English before settling as 'oak' in the early modern period.