Where does “birch” come from?

Birch comes from Middle English birche, from Old English birċe, from Proto-Germanic birkijǭ, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰerHǵs, a word of uncertain origin meaning "birch tree."

birch (English): Any of various trees of the genus "Betula",...

Definitions

  1. Any of various trees of the genus "Betula",...

Ancestry of “birch”, step by step

birch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English birche

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbirchebirch; mastic
2Old Englishbirċe—
3Proto-West Germanicbirkijābirch
4Proto-Germanicbirkijǭbirch
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanbʰerHǵosbirch

via Middle English birk

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishbirkAlternative form of birche
2Old Englishbierċebirch

Words derived from “birch”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰerHǵos →Every word from Proto-Germanic birkijǭ →Every word from Proto-West Germanic birkijā →