beech / bēch/ • n. (also beech tree) a large tree (genera Fagus and Notofagus) with smooth gray bark, glossy leaves, and hard, pale, fine-grained timber. Its fruit, a small triangular nut (beechnut), is an important food for numerous wild birds and mammals. The beech family (Fagaceae) also includes the oaks and chestnuts.

beech forest tree of the genus Fagus. OE. bēċe = MLG. bōke :- Gmc. *bōkjōn (wk. fem.), rel. to *bōkō (str. fem.), whence OE. bōc, OHG. buohha (G. buche), ON, bók (cf. BUCKWHEAT); all cogn. w. IE. *bhāgos, whence Gr. phāgós edible oak, L. fāgus beech. Cf. BOOK.

beech Deciduous tree native to the Northern Hemisphere. Beeches have wide-spreading branches, smooth grey bark and alternate, coarse-toothed leaves. Male flowers hang from thin stems; pairs of female flowers hang on hairy stems and develop into triangular, edible nuts enclosed by burs. The American beech (Fagus grandifolia)) and the European beech (F. sylvatica are important timber trees used for furniture and tool handles. Height: to 36m (117ft). Family Fagaceae; there are 10 species. All belong to the genus Nothofagus.

beech See FAGUS.