noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A tree of the genus Carpinus, having a smooth gray bark and a ridged trunk, the wood being white and very hard, common along the banks of streams in the United States.
2. 2
   any of several trees or shrubs of the genus Carpinus wordnet
3. 3
   A hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana).
4. 4
   The wood of these trees.

Synonyms

All synonyms

hornbeechhornbeechironwoodmusclewood

Etymology

c. 1570, from Old English horn + beam (“tree”)

Related phrases

American hornbeamEuropean hop hornbeamEuropean hop-hornbeamEuropean hornbeamcommon hornbeamhop hornbeamostrya virginiana

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.