# oak

> English word · Noun · IPA /əʊk/ · frequency rank #5,343

## Definitions
1. A deciduous tree with distinctive deeply lobed leaves, acorns, and notably strong wood, typically of England and northeastern North America, included in genus Quercus.
2. The wood of the oak.
3. A rich brown color, like that of oak wood.
4. Any tree of the genus Quercus, in family Fagaceae.
5. Any tree of other genera and species of trees resembling typical oaks of genus Quercus in some ways.
6. Any tree of other genera and species of trees resembling typical oaks of genus Quercus in some ways.
7. Any tree of other genera and species of trees resembling typical oaks of genus Quercus in some ways.
8. Any tree of other genera and species of trees resembling typical oaks of genus Quercus in some ways.
9. Any tree of other genera and species of trees resembling typical oaks of genus Quercus in some ways.
10. The outer (lockable) door of a set of rooms in a college or similar institution. (Often in the phrase sport one's oak.)
11. The flavor of oak.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English ake, hok, oek, ok, oke, from Old English aac, āc, ǣċ, from Proto-West Germanic *aik, from Proto-Germanic *aiks (“oak”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyǵ- (“oak”).
Cognates
From Proto-Germanic: Scots aik, ake, yik (“oak”), North Frisian iake, iik (“oak”), Saterland Frisian Eeke (“oak”), West Frisian iik (“oak”), Cimbrian aicha, oach (“oak”), Dutch eik (“oak”), German Eiche (“oak”), Luxembourgish Eech (“oak”), Vilamovian aach, aeh́, ǡh́ (“oak”), Danish eg (“oak”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Norwegian Nynorsk eik (“oak”), Norwegian Bokmål eik, ek (“oak”), Swedish ek (“oak”).
From Proto-Indo-European: Latin aesculus (“Italian oak”), Ancient Greek αἰγίλωψ (aigílōps, “Turkey oak”), Albanian enjë (“English yew; stinking juniper”), Latvian ozols (“oak”), Lithuanian ąžuolas (“oak”).

## Easily confused with
- **of** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-of)
- **on** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-on)
- **or** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-or)
- **OH** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-oh)
- **OK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-ok)
- **op** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-op)
- **OS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-os)
- **oz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-oz)
- **OT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-ot)
- **ou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-ou)
- **OG** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-og)
- **oi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-oi)
- **ow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-ow)
- **OC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-oc)
- **oo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-oo)
- **om** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-om)
- **ox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-ox)
- **ob** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-ob)
- **od** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-od)
- **OJ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oak-vs-oj)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/oak