birch

(redirected from birched)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia.
click for a larger image
birch
paper birch
Betula papyrifera

birch

 (bûrch)
n.
1.
a. Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs of the genus Betula, native to the Northern Hemisphere and having unisexual flowers in catkins, alternate, simple, toothed leaves, and bark that often peels in thin papery layers.
b. The hard, close-grained wood of any of these trees, used especially in furniture, interior finishes, and plywood.
2. A rod from a birch, used to administer a whipping.
tr.v. birched, birch·ing, birch·es
To whip with or as if with a birch.

[Middle English, from Old English birce; see bherəg- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

birch

(bɜːtʃ)
n
1. (Plants) any betulaceous tree or shrub of the genus Betula, having thin peeling bark. See also silver birch
2. (Plants) the hard close-grained wood of any of these trees
3. the birch a bundle of birch twigs or a birch rod used, esp formerly, for flogging offenders
adj
4. (Plants) of, relating to, or belonging to the birch
5. (Plants) consisting or made of birch
vb
(tr) to flog with a birch
[Old English bierce; related to Old High German birihha, Sanskrit bhūrja]
ˈbirchen adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

birch

(bɜrtʃ)
n.
1. any tree or shrub of the genus Betula, comprising species with a smooth, laminated outer bark and close-grained wood.
2. the wood itself.
3. a birch rod, or a bundle of birch twigs, used for whipping.
adj.
4. Also, birch′en. of or made of birch.
v.t.
5. to beat with or as if with a birch.
[before 900; Middle English birche, Old English birce]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

birch


Past participle: birched
Gerund: birching

Imperative
birch
birch
Present
I birch
you birch
he/she/it birches
we birch
you birch
they birch
Preterite
I birched
you birched
he/she/it birched
we birched
you birched
they birched
Present Continuous
I am birching
you are birching
he/she/it is birching
we are birching
you are birching
they are birching
Present Perfect
I have birched
you have birched
he/she/it has birched
we have birched
you have birched
they have birched
Past Continuous
I was birching
you were birching
he/she/it was birching
we were birching
you were birching
they were birching
Past Perfect
I had birched
you had birched
he/she/it had birched
we had birched
you had birched
they had birched
Future
I will birch
you will birch
he/she/it will birch
we will birch
you will birch
they will birch
Future Perfect
I will have birched
you will have birched
he/she/it will have birched
we will have birched
you will have birched
they will have birched
Future Continuous
I will be birching
you will be birching
he/she/it will be birching
we will be birching
you will be birching
they will be birching
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been birching
you have been birching
he/she/it has been birching
we have been birching
you have been birching
they have been birching
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been birching
you will have been birching
he/she/it will have been birching
we will have been birching
you will have been birching
they will have been birching
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been birching
you had been birching
he/she/it had been birching
we had been birching
you had been birching
they had been birching
Conditional
I would birch
you would birch
he/she/it would birch
we would birch
you would birch
they would birch
Past Conditional
I would have birched
you would have birched
he/she/it would have birched
we would have birched
you would have birched
they would have birched
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.birch - hard close-grained wood of any of various birch treesbirch - hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
birch tree, birch - any betulaceous tree or shrub of the genus Betula having a thin peeling bark
wood - the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
2.birch - any betulaceous tree or shrub of the genus Betula having a thin peeling barkbirch - any betulaceous tree or shrub of the genus Betula having a thin peeling bark
Betula, genus Betula - a genus of trees of the family Betulaceae (such as birches)
birch - hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
Betula alleghaniensis, Betula leutea, yellow birch - tree of eastern North America with thin lustrous yellow or grey bark
American white birch, Betula cordifolia, Betula papyrifera, canoe birch, paper birch, paperbark birch - small American birch with peeling white bark often worked into e.g. baskets or toy canoes
American gray birch, American grey birch, Betula populifolia, gray birch, grey birch - medium-sized birch of eastern North America having white or pale grey bark and valueless wood; occurs often as a second-growth forest tree
Betula pendula, common birch, European white birch, silver birch - European birch with silvery white peeling bark and markedly drooping branches
Betula pubescens, downy birch, white birch - European birch with dull white to pale brown bark and somewhat drooping hairy branches
Betula nigra, red birch, river birch, black birch - birch of swamps and river bottoms throughout the eastern United States having reddish-brown bark
Betula lenta, black birch, cherry birch, sweet birch - common birch of the eastern United States having spicy brown bark yielding a volatile oil and hard dark wood used for furniture
Betula neoalaskana, Yukon white birch - Alaskan birch with white to pale brown bark
Betula fontinalis, mountain birch, swamp birch, water birch, Western birch, Western paper birch - birch of western United States resembling the paper birch but having brownish bark
American dwarf birch, Betula glandulosa, Newfoundland dwarf birch - small shrub of colder parts of North America and Greenland
tree - a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
3.birch - a switch consisting of a twig or a bundle of twigs from a birch treebirch - a switch consisting of a twig or a bundle of twigs from a birch tree; used to hit people as punishment; "my father never spared the birch"
switch - a flexible implement used as an instrument of punishment
Verb1.birch - whip with a birch twigbirch - whip with a birch twig    
flog, lash, lather, trounce, welt, whip, slash, strap - beat severely with a whip or rod; "The teacher often flogged the students"; "The children were severely trounced"
Adj.1.birch - consisting of or made of wood of the birch treebirch - consisting of or made of wood of the birch tree
woody - made of or containing or resembling wood; "woody plants"; "perennial herbs with woody stems"; "a woody taste"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
خَشَبُ شَجَر البَتولاشَجَر البتولاشَجَرَةُ البَتُولا
бреза
břízabřezový
birkbirketræbirketræs-
betulo
koivupiiskata
breza
nyír
birkitré, björkbirkiviîur
자작나무
beržasberžinisberžo mediena
bērza-bērzs
mesteacăn
breza
breza
björk
ต้นไม้ชนิดหนึ่ง
huş ağacıhuş ağacı kerestesihuş
береза
cây bulô

birch

[bɜːtʃ]
A. N (= tree, wood) → abedul m; (for whipping) → vara f
B. VT (= punish) → castigar con la vara
C. CPD birch tree Nabedul m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

birch

[ˈbɜːrtʃ]
n
(= tree) → bouleau m
(= whip) → verge m, fouet m
vt (= whip) → fouetter
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

birch

n
Birke f
(for whipping) → Rute f
attrBirken-
vt(mit Ruten) schlagen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

birch

[bɜːtʃ] n (tree, wood) → betulla; (for whipping) → frusta (di betulla)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

birch

(bəːtʃ) noun
1. (also birch tree) a kind of small tree with pointed leaves valued for its wood. That tree is a birch; (also adjective) birch leaves.
2. its wood. a desk made of birch; (also adjective) a birch desk.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

birch

شَجَرَةُ البَتُولا bříza birk Birke σημύδα abedul koivu bouleau breza betulla 자작나무 berk bjørk brzoza bétula, vidoeiro береза björk ต้นไม้ชนิดหนึ่ง huş ağacı cây bulô 桦树
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in periodicals archive ?
"In order that they could be birched, a doctor was required to attend and medically examine each child and certify that each of them was physically fit enough to withstand six strokes of the birch."
Cliff played down his past life as the man who birched more than 20 criminals in his 29 years.
He had hit some people with a bottle on the prom at Douglas during his holiday and I remember he was brave before he was birched. But he was screaming after one stroke."