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chinkapin oak

chinkapin oak

9.6
A medium-sized tree that loses its leaves, makes acorns and has strong wood
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃɪŋkəˌpɪn oʊk/
  • US
translation icon : roble chinkapin
  • The chinkapin oak is prized for its durable wood, often used in furniture and flooring.

Examples

  • Several chinkapin oaks were planted along the park trail to provide shade and habitat.

  • Birds and squirrels feed on the acorns produced by the chinkapin oak each autumn.

  • The chinkapin oak is a beautiful tree.

  • Many chinkapin oaks grow in this park.

  • Birds and squirrels feed on the acorns produced by the chinkapin oak each autumn.

  • The chinkapin oak is prized for its durable wood, often used in furniture and flooring.

  • Several chinkapin oaks were planted along the park trail to provide shade and habitat.

Synonyms

Quercus muehlenbergii
vschinkapin oak
  • Specialized
9.9

A medium-sized tree that loses its leaves in winter and has strong, hard wood

is the common name form rather than the scientific one
chinquapin oak
vschinkapin oak
  • US
9.5

A medium-sized oak tree that loses its leaves and has strong wood for furniture

is the alternate common spelling without the parenthetical scientific name
yellow chestnut oak
vschinkapin oak
  • US
8.4

A medium-sized tree from the eastern United States with strong, durable wood

is the specific common name chosen here rather than that alternative

Surface Forms

chinkapin oak singular

Morphology

chinkapin + oak

Given knowledge of both constituents, a learner can infer this is a kind of oak: 'oak' clearly denotes a tree and 'chinkapin' is a plant name, so the compound names a specific oak related to chinkapin. This noun–noun species naming pattern is compositional and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Chinkapin oak may come from the old word chinkapin, used for a 'small chestnut', because this oak's acorns and leaves reminded people of those nuts. So the name links that nut-like image to this 'type of oak'.