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holm oak

holm oak

9.5
Very hard wood from a Mediterranean evergreen tree used to make strong furniture
  • noun
  • UK
: madera de encina
  • The furniture was handcrafted from solid holm oak for exceptional durability.

Examples

  • The dense grain of holm oak makes it an excellent material for flooring.

  • They used holm oak beams in the restoration of the old chapel.

  • The holm oak is known for its durability.

  • Many holm oaks can be found in southern Europe.

  • The dense grain of holm oak makes it an excellent material for flooring.

  • The furniture was handcrafted from solid holm oak for exceptional durability.

  • They used holm oak beams in the restoration of the old chapel.

Synonyms

oak
vsholm oak
53 1.0

Hard wood from the oak tree that lasts a long time and is used for furniture

is the particular Mediterranean evergreen variety rather than the general temperate type
oakwood
vsholm oak
1 2.7

Hard wood from oak trees used to make furniture

is the specific Mediterranean evergreen species of that wood, valued for extra strength

How Hard

ironwood
1 8.5
holm oak
  • UK
9.5
oak
53 1.0
pine
13 2.6
balsa
5 5.6

Surface Forms

holm oak singular
holm oaks plural

Morphology

holm + oak

This is a compositional noun phrase: 'holm' specifies a particular type/species (an evergreen oak) and 'oak' names the tree/wood, so the combined meaning (the evergreen oak or its hard wood) is directly derivable from the constituents. The modifier+head noun pattern for naming species or wood is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand the expression.

Etymology

Holm oak also names the strong 'wood' from that tree because people long used holm oak for beams and tools; so the phrase can mean the tree or the hard wood made from it.