Oak vs. Ash — What's the Difference?

An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks.

Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ash refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something burns.

Any of numerous deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs of the genus Quercus, bearing acorns as fruit.

The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance

The hard durable wood of any of these trees or shrubs.

A trophy for the winner of a series of Test matches in a cricket season between England and Australia.

Something made of this wood.

A tree with compound leaves, winged fruits, and hard pale timber, widely distributed throughout north temperate regions.

Any of various trees or shrubs having wood or a leaf shape similar to that of certain oaks.

An Old English runic letter, ᚫ, a vowel intermediate between a and e. It is represented in the Roman alphabet by the symbol æ or Æ.

Any of various brown shades resembling the wood of an oak in color.

The grayish-white to black powdery residue left when something is burned.

(countable) A deciduous tree with distinctive deeply lobed leaves, acorns, and notably strong wood, typically of England and northeastern North America, included in genus Quercus.

(Geology) Pulverized particulate matter ejected by volcanic eruption.

(uncountable) The wood of the oak.

The mineral residue of incinerated organic matter, used as an additive in pet foods.

A rich brown colour, like that of oak wood.

Ashes Ruins

Any tree of the genus Quercus, in family Fagaceae.

Ashes Bodily remains, especially after cremation or decay.

Any tree of other genera and species of trees resembling typical oaks of genus Quercus in some ways.

Any of various chiefly deciduous trees of the genus Fraxinus, having opposite, pinnately compound leaves, clusters of small flowers, and one-seeded winged fruits.

The she-oaks in Allocasuarina and Casuarina, of family Casuarinaceae

The strong, elastic wood of any of these trees, used for furniture, tool handles, and sporting goods such as baseball bats.

Lagunaria, white oak, in family Malvaceae

(Linguistics) The letter æ in Old English and some modern phonetic alphabets, representing the vowel sound of Modern English ash.

Various species called silky oak, in family Proteaceae

To reduce or convert to ash

Toxicodendron, poison oak, in family Anacardiaceae

(Informal) To drop ashes from a cigar or cigarette

Various tanbark oak or stone oak species in family Fagaceae, genera Lithocarpus and Notholithocarpus.

The solid remains of a fire.

The outer (lockable) door of a set of rooms in a college or similar institution. (Often in the phrase "to sport one's oak").

(chemistry) The nonaqueous remains of a material subjected to any complete oxidation process.

(wine) The flavor of oak.

Fine particles from a volcano, volcanic ash.

Having a rich brown colour, like that of oak wood.

(in the plural) Human (or animal) remains after cremation.

Made of oak wood or timber

Mortal remains in general.

To expose to oak in order for the oak to impart its flavors.

(figuratively) What remains after a catastrophe.

Any tree or shrub of the genus Quercus. The oaks have alternate leaves, often variously lobed, and staminate flowers in catkins. The fruit is a smooth nut, called an acorn, which is more or less inclosed in a scaly involucre called the cup or cupule. There are now recognized about three hundred species, of which nearly fifty occur in the United States, the rest in Europe, Asia, and the other parts of North America, a very few barely reaching the northern parts of South America and Africa. Many of the oaks form forest trees of grand proportions and live many centuries. The wood is usually hard and tough, and provided with conspicuous medullary rays, forming the silver grain.

A gray colour, like that of ash.

The strong wood or timber of the oak.

A shade tree of the genus Fraxinus.

The hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring

(uncountable) The wood of this tree.

A deciduous tree of the genus Quercus; has acorns and lobed leaves;

The traditional name for the ae ligature (æ), as used in Old English.

(chemistry) To reduce to a residue of ash. See ashing.

(intransitive) To hit the end off of a burning cigar or cigarette.

(transitive) To hit the end off (a burning cigar or cigarette).

To cover newly-sown fields of crops with ashes.

A genus of trees of the Olive family, having opposite pinnate leaves, many of the species furnishing valuable timber, as the European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and the white ash (Fraxinus Americana).

The tough, elastic wood of the ash tree.

Sing. of Ashes.

To strew or sprinkle with ashes.

The residue that remains when something is burned

Any of various deciduous pinnate-leaved ornamental or timber trees of the genus Fraxinus

Strong elastic wood of any of various ash trees; used for furniture and tool handles and sporting goods such as baseball bats

Convert into ashes