birch
nounverbattested in dialogue
- United Kingdom//bɜːtʃ//
- United States//bɝt͡ʃ//
Any of various trees of the genus Betula, native to countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
noun
- 1
Any of various trees of the genus Betula, native to countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
- 2
A hard wood taken from the birch tree, typically used to make furniture.
- 3
A stick, rod or bundle of twigs made from birch wood, used for punishment.
- 4
A birch-bark canoe.
Etymology
PIE word *bʰerHǵós From Middle English birche, birk, from Old English birċe, bierċe, from Proto-West Germanic *birkijā, from Proto-Germanic *birkijǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵos. Cognates Compare West Frisian bjirk, German Birke, variant of *berkō (compare Dutch berk, Danish birk, Swedish björk, Norwegian bjørk), Sanskrit भूर्ज (bhūrjá), Lithuanian béržas, Czech bříza, Ossetian бӕрз (bærz), Russian берёза (berjóza)), Latin fraxinus (“ash tree, ash javelin”), Albanian bredh.
verb
- 1
To punish with a stick, bundle of twigs, or rod made of birch wood.
- 2
To punish as though one were using a stick, bundle of twigs, or rod made of birch wood.
That the morrow would see us arraigned 'fore the Head And probably birched with a willow
[…] and was tied to a tree and soundly birched with a bundle of furze
The Mexica were always washing, in water obtained through the aqueduct, or in the lake, and would often go to the popular baths in the numerous stone steam houses (where birching, with grasses, or massage was also available).
Forms
- plural
- birches
- past tense
- birched
- past participle
- birched
- present participle
- birching
- third person singular
- birches
birch · Any of various trees of the genus Betula, native to countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
Birch · A surname.bird · An animal of the clade (traditionally class) Aves in the…Bird · A surname.