birk

From Middle English birk, birke, byrke, a northern variant of Middle English birche (“birch”). More at birch.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɜː(ɹ)k/
• Homophone: berk
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)k

birk (plural birks)

1. (Northern English) A birch tree. Cognate with Scots birk.
   • (Can we date this quote?), Alfred Tennyson

     The silver birk.

2. A Eurasian minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus, syn. Leuciscus phoxinus).
3. (Britain, slang) Alternative spelling of berk

• birk in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

birk

1. Alternative form of birche

• byrk, birke, byrke

From Old English birc or byrc. Cognate with Middle English birch and Northern Middle English birk.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛrk/, /ˈbʌrk/
• (Southern Scots) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪrk/

birk (plural birks)

1. A birch tree.

• birken
  • birkenshaw