(a) A perennial plant generally displaying a self-supporting, woody main stem or trunk from which foliage-bearing branches grow, a tree; a nonherbaceous plant resembling a tree in its manner of growth, size, or foliage, a bush or shrub; also, any fruit-bearing plant; (b) usu. pl.: vegetation in general; also, the tree as representative of the vegetable kingdom; (c) a part of a living tree: the pith or wood; ?also, a bough [last quot.]; (d) pl. a forest, woods;—also sg. in metonymy [quot. c1275]; (e) an envisioned tree viewed as an omen of death by hanging; (f) a stylized representation of a tree; (g) fig. and in fig. context; also person.; (h) in stock similes and conventional comparisons; (i) in proverbs and prov. expressions.

Specific trees: (a) of Biblical significance: one of the trees of the Garden of Eden and the earthly paradise; the cursed fig tree [see Mat.21.19]; the Tree of Life in the New Jerusalem [see Apoc.22.2]; also, fig. Christ [see John 15.1]; ~ of knouinge god and ivel, ~ of science of the god and the ivel, etc.; ~ of lif; forboden (unalefde) ~; (b) in legends: the tree used for Christ's cross; the Dry Tree; the Trees of the Sun and the Moon; a scion taken from the Tree of Life in Eden;—often identified with the tree used for Christ's cross; ~ of deth (merci, mildhertnesse, etc.); holi ~; (c) a specific tree marking a boundary.

(a) In cpds. & combs.: ~ cop (top), the top or topmost branch of a tree; ~ crop, the foliage or leafy portion of a tree; ~ herte, ?the root or vital portion of a tree; ~ kin, a sort of tree; ~ mosse, q.v.; ~ rote, a tree's root or base, the part of the tree embedded in the earth; ~ (of) time, ?a shrub producing thyme; ~ wastme, the yield from a tree; ~ worm, a worm that gnaws wood, the teredo or shipworm; curvet ~, a plant of the gourd family [cp. cucurbit(e n.]; (b) in names of specific trees: appel (burre, citir, fige, ivi, palme, pere, ploume, theve-thorn, thorn) ~, q.v.; box ~, a box tree [see also box n.(1) (a)]; oke ~, an oak [see also ok(e n. 3.]; thorn ~, any of several trees characterized by thorns [see also thorn-tre n.]; for alder (aspe, baie, cedre, corke, ellern, filbert, mapel, etc.) ~, see the 1st element.

(a) Wood, esp. as a material for the fashioning of decorative or functional objects; (b) wood of a special sort, a specific kind of wood; a manere (of) ~, a kind of wood; (c) wood to be used as fuel, firewood; also fig.; (d) hewn but unfinished timber, a log; a stick, piece, or chunk of wood; also fig.; also, wood as a commodity or precious object; (e) a beam, plank, timber, esp. as a structural member of a building, ship, etc.; a wooden section of a building; a pole; also, ?a thwart [quot. a1500(c1400)]; also, pl. a ship's deck [quot. c1400 (?c1380)]; (f) a staff; a cudgel; the shaft of a spear or an arrow; (g) in conventional comparisons.

An object made of wood: (a) a ship, usu. the ark; also fig.; ?also, a ship's mast or hull; (b) a musical instrument; also, a sounding board; also in fig. context; (c) an image, an idol; (d) a ladder; also, an upright of a ladder; (e) the wooden framework of a saddle; (f) ?a wooden wheel on a contrivance used for torture [perh. from misunderstanding of tintrege n.; could also be construed as sense 2a.(e)]; (g) the wooden part of something.

(a) In cpds. & combs.: ~ bed; ~ castel, a siege tower; ~ doubler, a wooden plate; ~ ende, the end of a beam or timber; ~ morteise, a cavity into which a beam or cross is set so as to stand firmly; ~ nail, wooden pegs or pins, prob. used in shipbuilding; ~ pilere; ~ pin; ~ saue;—used fig.; solere ~, a wooden beam or joist of the Temple; ~ spere, a wooden spear; ~ trough; ~ vessel; ~ werk, ?timber work; also, pl. carpentry [1st quot.]; ~ werkere, a carpenter; ~ wonde; (b) berling ~, a pole or spar; cart (lode) sadel ~, the wooden framework of a cart saddle (packsaddle); cedre ~ [see cedre n. 2.]; also, a beam of cedar wood [quot. a1382, 2nd]; coroune ~, a ridge pole; covel ~, a pole for carrying a two-handled tub or vat; dore ~ [see dore n.(1) 4.(c)]; ebenus (olive) ~, ebony (olive) wood; galwe ~, a support from which a pot hangs over a fire; gate ~, ?a gate post; ?the upper beam of the frame to which a gate is attached; goddes ~ and ston, graven images; half) busshel ~, a wooden (half) bushel measure; rof ~ [see rof n. 6.(b), (c)]; sadel (sadeles, male) ~, the wooden framework of a saddle or packsaddle; shal ~, q.v.; so ~ [see so n. (b)]; stok (scottes) tres, ?wood taken from tree stumps; swinge (swingeles) ~, the crossbar of a harrow; swingel ~, q.v.

(a) A cross serving as a means of execution, esp. the cross on which Christ was crucified; also, a representation of Christ's cross used as a symbol or an object of veneration; also in oaths: bi godes ~, cristes swete ~, etc.; rode ~, q.v.; wari ~ [see wari-tre n. (b)]; (b) a gallows, gibbet; also, any of several wooden implements of restraint, torture, or punishment; galwe ~ [see galwe n. 2.(c)]; wari ~ [see wari-tre n. (a)].

A representation of familial relationships in the form of a tree; also, a family;—with fig. allusion to sense 1a.(a).

(a) In surnames; (b) in place names [see Smith PNElem. 2.186-7].