This week’s theme
Words having origins in tree names

This week’s words
corroborate
palmary
willowy
birch
fig

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(buhrch)

MEANING:

noun:	1. Any of various hardy trees or shrubs of the genus Betula.
	2. A birch twig or a bundle of them.
verb tr.:	1. To beat with (or as if with) a birch.
	2. To admonish or to punish.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Old English berc/beorc. Earliest documented use: 700.

USAGE:

“Even after it became aware of suspected money-laundering in accounts, CBA [The Commonwealth Bank of Australia] didn’t monitor its customers ... [Nicole Rose, CEO of AUSTRAC, the anti-money-laundering unit performed] a thorough birching of the nation’s biggest financial institution.”
Richard Gluyas; Everything Failed, but Now Comyn Can Start Rebuilding; The Australian (Canberra); Jun 5, 2018.

See more usage examples of birch in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: