willow oak
1
7.0
- noun
- /ˈwɪloʊ oʊk/
- US
:
roble sauce
- He blew spit over his tongue and cried out, "Da-da," and I put him on my knee, facing away toward the cool green branches of my biggest willow oak.
Examples
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I herded them into the yard to play, but even though I got three acres, there ain't much for them to do at my place, so I sat down and watched Freddie climb on an Oldsmobile engine I got hanging from a willow oak on a long chain.
Fiction book (2000) -
Orph followed the ear to the head of the lane where he'd settle in the shade of the Osage orange, which grew almost as high and mighty as the willow oaks.
Fiction book (2000) -
She tricks me by using her back door and stealing around to wait in the deeper darkness of a willow oak.
Fiction book (1996) -
"We’re gonna put a tire swing on that tall willow oak there, first off." "All right."
Fiction book (2000) -
Dixie and I are in the front room overlooking the old quadrangle with its massive willow oaks, Melissa and Donnie are across the hall, and Lily is in the single just beyond our little study room.
Fiction book (1991) -
It is a mixture of blackjack oak, willow oak, southern red oak, black gum, persimmon, winged elm, red mulberry, and other trees.
Academic text (1997) -
The park is filled with beautiful willow oaks that provide ample shade during hot summer days.
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Under the sprawling branches of a willow oak, we had a picnic with friends last weekend.
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In fall, the leaves of the willow oak turn a stunning golden color, making it a popular spot for photographers.
Synonyms
A medium to large oak tree with long narrow leaves often planted for shade, called willow oak
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a transparent compound: the first noun ('willow') specifies a willow-like quality of the second noun ('oak'), so the meaning 'an oak with willow-like leaves' is directly inferable from the constituents. Botanical naming by resemblance is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows 'willow' and 'oak' would readily understand this term.
Etymology
Willow oak is named because it is an oak tree with long, narrow leaves like a willow. So the name gives a simple picture: it means a kind of oak that looks like a willow, which helps you remember the tree's shape and leaves.