southern live oak
- noun
- /ˈsʌðərn laɪv oʊk/
- US
:
roble vivo del sur
- The wood from the southern live oak was once highly prized in shipbuilding for its strength and durability.
Examples
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Many historic plantations are lined with southern live oaks that create beautiful shaded avenues.
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The massive southern live oak in the park is over two hundred years old.
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The southern live oak is a beautiful tree.
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Many southern live oaks can be found in Florida.
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Many historic plantations are lined with southern live oaks that create beautiful shaded avenues.
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The massive southern live oak in the park is over two hundred years old.
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The wood from the southern live oak was once highly prized in shipbuilding for its strength and durability.
Synonyms
7
6.0
A large tree with green leaves all year that grows in the southern United States
A medium-sized evergreen oak tree with wide spreading branches and very hard wood
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'southern' indicates geographic origin and 'live oak' denotes a kind of oak that remains living/evergreen, so the overall meaning (an oak from the south that is evergreen) can be inferred from the parts. This adjective + noun combination follows common cross-linguistic patterns and is predictable for a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The name southern live oak comes from a simple picture: live meant 'stays green' all year and southern shows it grows in the American South. So the name points to an oak tree that 'stays green' in the south and has very strong wood that people once used for ships.