Birch
WordNet
adjective
(1) Consisting of or made of wood of the birch tree
noun
(2) 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"
(3) Any betulaceous tree or shrub of the genus Betula having a thin peeling bark
(4) Hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
verb
(5) Whip with a birch twig
WiktionaryText
English
Etymology
Old English birce, bierce, beorc; cognate with West Frisian bjirk, Dutch berk, German Birke, Danish birk, Swedish björk, Norwegian bjerk.
Noun
- 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.
Verb
- 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.