birch

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. 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.
2. n. The hard, close-grained wood of any of these trees, used especially in furniture, interior finishes, and plywood.
3. n. A rod from a birch, used to administer a whipping.
4. v. To whip with or as if with a birch.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A tree or shrub belonging to the genus Betula (which see). The birches have smooth, laminated outer bark and close-grained wood, which in some species is hard and tough, taking a fine polish, and is used in the manufacture of furniture and for many other purposes. The white, gray, or poplar birch, Betula alba, the principal European species, is a small tree, but is put to many uses, especially in the old world. The bark is used for tanning and thatching, and yields an oil which is said to be used to give Russia leather its peculiar odor; spruce-oil is also used for this purpose. The leaves, as well as the sap and oil, are used in the treatment of various chronic diseases, and the wood is used for fuel and many other purposes. Several varieties of this species, as the weeping, cut-leafed, and purple birches, are much cultivated for ornament. The canoe- or paper-birch of North America, B. papyrifera, is a large tree with a very tough, durable bark, which is largely used by the Indians in the manufacture of canoes and tents. The timber is valuable. The yellow or gray birch, B. lutea, is one of the most important deciduous trees of the northern Atlantic forests, growing to a very large size; its wood is heavy, very strong, aud hard. The black, sweet, cherry-, or mahogany-birch, B. lenta, has a very spicy, aromatic bark, yielding a volatile oil identical with oil of winter-green, and its heavy, dark-colored wood is largely used for making furniture and in ship-building. Other prominent species are the red or river-birch, B. nigra, of the Southern States, and the black birch, B. occidentalis, of the Rocky Mountains aud westward. Several shrubby species are widely distributed in mountainous and arctic regions, reaching a higher latitude than any other deciduous tree, as the alpine birch (B. nana), the low or dwarf birch (B. pumila), aud the scrub birch (B. glandulosa).
2. n. A birch rod, or a number of birch-twigs bound together, sometimes used for punishing children.
3. n. A birch-bark canoe.
4. To beat or punish with a birch rod; flog.
5. n. In New Zealand, a name of any one of several species of Nothofagus.
6. n. Same as white birch .
7. n. Same as cañon- birch.
8. n. The Atlantic coast birch, B. populifolia.
9. n. The paper-or canoe-birch, B. papyrifera.
10. n. Nothofagus Solandri, a beautiful evergreen tree 100 feet high: so called from the color of the bark.

Wiktionary

1. n. any of various trees of the genus Betula, native to countries in the northern hemisphere.
2. n. a hard wood taken from the birch tree, typically used to make furniture.
3. n. a stick, rod or bundle of twigs made from birch wood, used for punishment.
4. v. to punish with a stick, bundle of twigs, or rod made of birch wood.
5. v. to punish as though one were using a stick, bundle of twigs, or rod made of birch wood.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A tree of several species, constituting the genus Betula; as, the white or common birch (Betula alba) (also called silver birch and lady birch); the dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa); the paper or canoe birch (Betula papyracea); the yellow birch (Betula lutea); the black or cherry birch (Betula lenta).
2. n. The wood or timber of the birch.
3. n. A birch twig or birch twigs, used for flogging.
4. n. A birch-bark canoe.
5. adj. Of or pertaining to the birch; birchen.
6. v. To whip with a birch rod or twig; to flog.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a switch consisting of a twig or a bundle of twigs from a birch tree; used to hit people as punishment
2. adj. consisting of or made of wood of the birch tree
3. n. hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood
4. v. whip with a birch twig
5. n. any betulaceous tree or shrub of the genus Betula having a thin peeling bark