pin oak

noun

1. fast-growing medium to large pyramidal deciduous tree of northeastern United States and southeastern Canada having deeply pinnatifid leaves that turn bright red in autumn; thrives in damp soil

• Syn: ↑swamp oak, ↑Quercus palustris

• Hypernyms: ↑oak, ↑oak tree

2. large nearly semi-evergreen oak of southeastern United States; thrives in damp soil

• Syn: ↑laurel oak, ↑Quercus laurifolia

• Hypernyms: ↑oak, ↑oak tree

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noun

Etymology: so called from the persistence of the bases of dead branches which resemble pins driven into the trunk

: any of several American oaks (as a bastard oak or laurel oak); especially : a large symmetrical pyramidal oak (Quercus palustris) that is native to the northeastern United States but widespread in cultivation and has deeply pinnatifid leaves which turn brilliant red in the fall and rather small almost hemispherical acorns — called also swamp oak

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an oak, Quercus palustris, characterized by the pyramidal manner of growth of its branches and deeply pinnatifid leaves.

[1805-15, Amer.]

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pin oak,

an oak native to the eastern United States but widely distributed, whose dead branches resemble pins driven into the trunk; swamp oak.

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n. a North American oak with deeply lobed, toothed leaves. Its dead branches remain in position and resemble pegs fixed in the trunk. ● Quercus palustris