Birch Meaning
/bɜːtʃ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAny of various trees of the genus Betula, native to countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
nounA hard wood taken from the birch tree, typically used to make furniture.
Sentence Examples
The birch leaves have already turned yellow.
The sweet lulling beauty of the birch.
There was a birch tree in our garden, but it died.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The canoe was crafted from the flexible bark of a white ____ tree.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ tree has very thin white bark that peels off in small strips.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"That the morrow would see us arraigned 'fore the Head
And probably birched with a willow"
— 1902, M. M. Read, “The Midnight Feast”, in The Boy's Own Annual, volume 25, page 63:
"[…] and was tied to a tree and soundly birched with a bundle of furze"
— 2012, Charles J. Esdaile, Outpost of Empire: The Napoleonic Occupation of Andalucia, 1810–1812, page 319:
"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)."
— 2013, Hugh Thomas, Conquest: Cortes, Montezuma, and the Fall of Old Mexico, page 292:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The canoe was crafted from the flexible bark of a white ____ tree.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ tree has very thin white bark that peels off in small strips.