Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- See under hornbeam.
noun
- any North American shrub or tree belonging to the genus Carpinus, of the birch family, yielding a hard, heavy wood, as C. caroliniana (American hornbeam).
noun
- any tree of the betulaceous genus Carpinus, such as C. betulus of Europe and Asia, having smooth grey bark and hard white wood
- the wood of any of these trees
1570s, from horn (n.) + beam (n.), preserving the original sense of the latter word; so called in reference to its hard wood.