Quercine

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈkwɜː.saɪn/

Definitions

1. Relating to or resembling an oak tree, or derived from oak wood or bark
2. Pertaining to characteristics associated with oak trees or substances obtained from oak wood and bark
3. Connected to the traits of oak trees or materials that come from oak wood and its bark

Etymology: "Quercine" comes from Latin "quercinus," meaning "of oak," formed from "quercus," the oak tree, plus the suffix "-inus," which marks belonging to or made of something. English appears to have taken the adjective directly from Latin, so it is a learned borrowing rather than a word that passed through everyday speech. The same suffix appears in English words such as "marine" and "feline," which come from Latin "marinus" and "felinus." The root "quercus" is also the source of the botanical genus Quercus, which contains the oaks, so the adjective and that scientific name share one ancestor.