■ 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'.