Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Shingle \Shin"gle\, n. [OE. shingle, shindle, fr. L. scindula,
   scandula; cf. scindere to cleave, to split, E. shed, v.t.,
   Gr. ???, ???, shingle, ??? to slit.]
   1. A piece of wood sawed or rived thin and small, with one
      end thinner than the other, -- used in covering buildings,
      especially roofs, the thick ends of one row overlapping
      the thin ends of the row below.

            I reached St. Asaph, . . . where there is a very
            poor cathedral church covered with shingles or
            tiles.                                --Ray.

   2. A sign for an office or a shop; as, to hang out one's
      shingle. [Jocose, U. S.]

   {Shingle oak} (Bot.), a kind of oak ({Quercus imbricaria})
      used in the Western States for making shingles.

Source : WordNet®

Quercus imbricaria
     n : small deciduous tree of eastern and central United States
         having leaves that shine like laurel; wood is used in
         western states for shingles [syn: {shingle oak}, {laurel
         oak}]