First published 1887; not yet revised More entries for "birch"
birchnoun
Factsheet
What does the noun birch mean?
There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun birch. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
birch has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun birch?
About 2occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 1.1 |
| 1760 | 1.4 |
| 1770 | 1.9 |
| 1780 | 2.5 |
| 1790 | 2.9 |
| 1800 | 3.2 |
| 1810 | 2.8 |
| 1820 | 2.8 |
| 1830 | 2.8 |
| 1840 | 3.0 |
| 1850 | 3.0 |
| 1860 | 3.2 |
| 1870 | 3.3 |
| 1880 | 3.6 |
| 1890 | 3.9 |
| 1900 | 4.0 |
| 1910 | 3.8 |
| 1920 | 3.7 |
| 1930 | 3.6 |
| 1940 | 3.5 |
| 1950 | 3.2 |
| 1960 | 2.8 |
| 1970 | 2.5 |
| 1980 | 2.2 |
| 1990 | 2.0 |
| 2000 | 2.0 |
| 2010 | 1.9 |
How is the noun birch pronounced?
British English
/bəːtʃ/
burtch
U.S. English
/bərtʃ/
burrtch
Where does the noun birch come from?
Earliest known use
Old English
The earliest known use of the noun birch is in the Old English period (pre-1150).
birch is a word inherited from Germanic.
Nearby entries
- biquintile, n.1647–
- bir, v.Old English–1400
- biracial, adj.1922–
- biradiate, adj.1858–
- birainy, adj.1855–
- biramose, adj.1877–
- biramous, adj.1877–
- birational, adj.1894–
- birationally, adv.1915–
- birb, n.1694
- birch, n.Old English–
- birch, v.1830–
- birch bark, n.1643–
- birch beer, n.1883–
- birch-builder, n.a1861–
- birch canoe, n.1697–
- birchen, adj.1481–
- bircher, n.¹1888–
- Bircher, n.²1961–
- birching, n.1838–
- birch-lands, n.1789–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for birch, n.
birch, n. was first published in 1887; not yet revised.
birch, n. was last modified in March 2024.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into birch, n. in March 2024.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1887)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
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Citation details
Factsheet for birch, n.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- biquintile, n.1647–
- bir, v.Old English–1400
- biracial, adj.1922–
- biradiate, adj.1858–
- birainy, adj.1855–
- biramose, adj.1877–
- biramous, adj.1877–
- birational, adj.1894–
- birationally, adv.1915–
- birb, n.1694
- birch, n.Old English–
- birch, v.1830–
- birch bark, n.1643–
- birch beer, n.1883–
- birch-builder, n.a1861–
- birch canoe, n.1697–
- birchen, adj.1481–
- bircher, n.¹1888–
- Bircher, n.²1961–
- birching, n.1838–
- birch-lands, n.1789–
