Oak

Oak, ōk, n. a tree of about 300 species, the most famous the British oak, valued for its timber in shipbuilding, &c.—ns. Oak′-app′le, a spongy substance on the leaves of the oak, caused by insects—also Oak′leaf-gall; Oak′-bark, the bark of some species of oak used in tanning.—adjs. Oak′-cleav′ing (Shak.), cleaving oaks; Oak′en, consisting or made of oak.—ns. Oak′-gall, a gall produced on the oak; Oak′-leath′er, a fungus mycelium in the fissures of old oaks; Oak′ling, a young oak; Oak′-pā′per, paper for wall-hangings veined like oak.—adj. Oak′y, like oak, firm.—Oak-apple Day, the 29th of May, the anniversary of the Restoration in 1660, when country boys used to wear oak-apples in commemoration of Charles II. skulking in the branches of an oak (the Royal Oak) from Cromwell's troopers after Worcester.—Sport one's oak, in English university slang, to signify that one does not wish visitors by closing the outer door of one's rooms; The Oaks, one of the three great English races—for mares—the others being the Derby and St Leger. [A.S. ác; Ice. eik, Ger. eiche.]