poison oak
1
6.1
- noun
- /ˈpɔɪzən oʊk/
- US
:
dermatitis por hiedra venenosa
- After hiking through the forest, I developed a rash from my exposure to poison oak.
- case of poison oak
Examples
-
I look up from a carpet of what I hope isn't poison oak or something to see Mr. Morse clicking the empty revolver five more times at my head.
Fiction book (1999) -
It's too late for you now, but Fels Naptha laundry soap works great for getting poison oak/ivy oil off the skin shortly after exposure.
Blog text (21) -
Did you get poison oak or something?
-
Well, what do you expect when you roll around in poison oak?
-
I got poison oak, too!
-
- Well, I did deploy the poison oak spray.
-
You know, I once got poison oak on my bu... back.
-
I've had poison oak a million times.
-
Has it escaped your attention that these children have head-to-toe poison oak?
-
More calamine lotion for the poison oak has just arrived.
Synonyms
3
4.1
A skin reaction that makes a red, itchy rash after touching the plant
A skin rash you get from touching plants like poison ivy or poison oak
How Severe
5
3.3
- Specialized
5
5.0
- Specialized
1
5.1
- US
1
6.1
4
3.0
3
3.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'poison' (harmful substance) with 'oak' (a type of tree): a learner will infer it is an oak that is harmful/poisonous. Noun–noun compounds that name a harmful plant are cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will generally understand that this refers to a poisonous/irritant plant (likely causing a rash).
Etymology
Poison oak also means the red, itchy 'skin irritation' you get after touching the plant, because the plant's oil acts like a 'poison' on the skin.