birching

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birch

paper birch

Betula papyrifera

birch

(bûrch)

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.

birching

(ˈbɜːtʃɪŋ)

the action of beating someone, esp a naughty schoolchild, with a birch

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Translations

birching

[ˈbɜːtʃɪŋ] N → azotamiento m (con la vara)

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

birching

n (= act) → Prügeln nt; (Jur) → Prügelstrafe f; to get a birching → mit der Rute geschlagen werden

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

birching

[ˈbɜːtʃɪŋ] n → fustigazione f

References in periodicals archive ?

At the museum there are twigs, rods and even a birching stool that would have been used to whip the badlybehaved youths.

Whipping children pinto shape; Crime Files delves into the archives of the West Midlands Police Museum, which has a collection of artefacts and photographs charting the development of the police through the ages. This week, we look at the punishment meted out for petty crimes

Cattle ranching and Birching are a natural fit, says Len, who, along with his wife Pat and other members of the family, joined the Society in the 1960s.

Americanism in action: JBS members come from a variety of backgrounds, but they all share a zeal to preserve freedom through responsible activism

After a speedy court appearance in Douglas they were examined by a doctor to see if they were fit for birching. Minutes later they had received their strokes and were released, sore and ready to leave the island.