birch

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birch^¹

/bɜːtʃ/ UK
/bɝt͡ʃ/ US

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ

Where it comes from

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.

noun birches

countable, uncountable Any of various trees of the genus Betula, native to countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
countable, uncountable A hard wood taken from the birch tree, typically used to make furniture.
countable, uncountable A stick, rod or bundle of twigs made from birch wood, used for punishment.
Similar: makepeace, switch
countable, uncountable A birch-bark canoe.

verb birches · birching · birched

transitive To punish with a stick, bundle of twigs, or rod made of birch wood.
transitive 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

Birch^²

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ

proper noun Birches · Birchs

A surname.
A nickname of the surname Birchall.
A village and civil parish in Colchester borough, Essex, England (OS grid ref TL9419).
A small village in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England (OS grid ref SD8507).
A township in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States.
An extinct town in Eureka County, Nevada, United States.
A town in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, United States.
An unincorporated community in the town of Sanborn, Ashland County, Wisconsin.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: birch tree, birken, woody, birch rod, alder, choice, hirschfeld, pfeiffer, birchwood, black birch, dwarf birch, red birch, cherry birch, birch wood, sweet birch, yellow birch

Translations

Every language

noun wood

Español	abedul
中文	樺木 /桦木 huàmù
Kiswahili	ubao wa mbetula
Português	bétula
Русский	берёза berjóza

noun tree

Español	abedul
한국어	자작나무 jajang-namu, 박달나무 bakdal-lamu
日本語	樺の木 kabanoki, 樺 kaba
中文	樺樹 /桦树 huàshù, 樺 /桦 huà, 樺木 /桦木 huàmù
Kiswahili	mbetula
Português	bétula, vidoeiro
Français	bouleau
Deutsch	Birke
Italiano	betulla
Ελληνικά	σημύδα simýda
Română	mesteacăn
Русский	берёза berjóza
Tiếng Việt	bạch dương class cây
العربية	بَتُولَا batūlā, سَنْدَر sandar
עברית	שַׁדָּר shaddár, לִבְנֶה livné

noun punishment device

Français	badine, baguette, verge
Русский	ро́зга rózga, прут prut

verb to punish with a birch

Français	verger
Русский	сечь розгами sečʹ rozgami

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Cite this

MLA

"birch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/birch. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

birch. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/birch

Chicago

"birch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/birch.

BibTeX

@misc{birch_2026,
  title = {birch},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/birch},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}