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Glite Dictionary
pin oak

pin oak

1 5.0
A large oak tree that grows fast with deeply cut leaves and bright red color in autumn
  • noun
  • /pɪn oʊk/
  • US
translation icon : roble pin
  • The park is filled with magnificent pin oaks, their leaves turning bright red in the autumn sunshine.
  • pin oak tree
  • large pin oaks
  • leaves on the pin oak

Examples

  • The sun is now hidden by a neighbor's pin oak tree, and the kitchen has a cool dimness that he finds soothing.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • No cooling breeze stirred the pin oaks around Miss Eloise Mosley's white Victorian house.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Some nest in cavities in the trees, while others, like turkeys, mallards, and wood ducks, eat small acorns from pin oaks.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Children often play under the large pin oaks, enjoying the shade they provide on hot days.

  • In the spring, the pin oak buds bloom, adding vibrant colors to the landscape.

Synonyms

Quercus palustris
vspin oak
  • Specialized
8.3

A medium-to-large fast-growing tree with deeply lobed leaves that turn bright red in autumn and grows well in wet soil

is the common everyday name used instead of the formal species name

Surface Forms

pin oak singular
pin oaks plural

Morphology

pin + oak

The compound 'pin oak' is compositionally built from 'oak' (a type of tree) with 'pin' as a modifier, so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a particular kind of oak. While detailed botanical properties (growth habit, habitat, autumn color) are not predictable from the parts, the basic meaning 'a type of oak tree' is directly derivable, making the expression transparent.

Etymology

Pin oak may come from the tree's many thin, straight twigs that look like small pins, so people called it a pin oak. That's why the name refers to this 'type of tree'.