birch
Contents
EnglishEdit
Birch trees Betula pendula (1)
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English birche, birk, from Old English birċe, bierċe, from Proto-Germanic *birkijǭ (compare West Frisian bjirk, German Birke), variant of *berkō (compare Dutch berk, Swedish björk, Norwegian bjørk), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵos (compare Sanskrit भूर्ज (bhūrjá), Lithuanian béržas, Czech bříza, Ossetian бӕрз (bærz), Russian берёза (berjóza)), Latin fraxinus (“ash tree, ash javelin”)).
PronunciationEdit
- (General American) enPR: bû(r)ch, IPA(key): /bɝtʃ/
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: bû(r)ch, IPA(key): /bɜːtʃ/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ
NounEdit
birch (countable and uncountable, plural birches)
- Any of various trees of the genus Betula, native to countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
- A hard wood taken from the birch tree, typically used to make furniture.
- A stick, rod or bundle of twigs made from birch wood, used for punishment.
- A birch-bark canoe.
SynonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
tree
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wood
punishment device
birch-bark canoe
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VerbEdit
birch (third-person singular simple present birches, present participle birching, simple past and past participle birched)
- to punish with a stick, bundle of twigs, or rod made of birch wood.
- to punish as though one were using a stick, bundle of twigs, or rod made of birch wood.
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
to punish with a birch
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to punish as if one were using a birch