1
- （亦作birch tree）a slender hardy tree which has thin peeling bark and bears catkins. Birch trees grow chiefly in northern temperate regions and yield hard, pale, finegrained timber.桦, 白桦。
1.1
- Genus Betula, family Betulaceae: many species, including the silver birch (B. pendula) of Europe.桦木属, 桦木科：多种, 包括欧洲白桦（拉丁名B. pendula）。
2
the birch
chiefly historical a formal punishment in which a person is flogged with a bundle of birch twigs〈主史〉桦条鞭笞（刑罚）：there were calls to bring back the birch.
曾有人呼吁恢复桦条鞭笞刑罚。
with obj.
- chiefly historical beat (someone) with a bundle of birch twigs as a formal punishment〈主史〉用桦条鞭笞。
派生词
birchen
adjective （archaic〈古〉）词源
Old English bierce, birce, of Germanic origin; related to German Birke.