CORK


Meaning of CORK in English

■ noun

1》 a buoyant, light brown substance obtained from the outer layer of the bark of the ~ oak.

2》 a bottle stopper made of ~.

3》 a piece of ~ used as a float for a fishing line or net.

4》 Botany a protective layer of dead cells immediately below the bark of woody plants.

■ verb

1》 close or seal (a bottle) with a ~.

↘[as adjective ~ed ] (of wine) spoilt by tannin from the ~.

2》 Baseball illicitly hollow out (a bat) and fill it with ~ to make it lighter.

Derivatives

~-like adjective

Origin

ME: from Du. and Low Ger. kork , from Sp. alcorque '~-soled sandal', from Arab. al- 'the' and (prob.) Sp. Arab. ḳurḳ , ḳorḳ , based on L. quercus 'oak, ~ oak'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.