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Origin and history of birchen

birchen(adj.)

"consisting or made of birch," mid-15c., from birch (n.) + -en (2). Similar formation in German birken.

also from mid-15c.

Entries linking to birchen

birch(n.)

"hardy, slender northern forest tree noted for its white bark," Old English berc, beorc (also the name of the rune for "b"), from Proto-Germanic *berkjon.

This is from PIE *bhergo (source also of Ossetian barz, Old Church Slavonic breza, Russian bereza, Lithuanian beržas, Sanskrit bhurjah, all names of birch-like trees, Latin fraxinus "mountain ash"), from root *bhereg- "to shine; bright, white," in reference to the bark.

Germanic cognates include Old Saxon birka, Old Norse börk, Danish birk, Swedish and Icelandic björk (also a given name for girls), Middle Dutch berke, Dutch berk, Old High German birihha, German Birke.

Birch beer is by 1827, American English.

-en(2)

suffix added to nouns to produce adjectives meaning "made of, of the nature of" (such as golden, oaken, woolen), corresponding to Latin -anus, -inus, Greek -inos; from Proto-Germanic *-ina- (from PIE *-no-, adjectival suffix).

Common in Old, Middle, and early Modern English: e.g. fyren "on fire; made of fire," rosen "made or consisting of roses," hunden "of dogs, canine," beanen "of beans," wreathen "entwined," tinnen "made of tin," baken "baked," breaden "of bread," writhen "subject to twisting or turning," yewen "made of yew-wood." Wycliffe has reeden made of or consisting of reeds."

The few surviving instances are largely discarded in everyday use, and the simple form of the noun doubles as adjective (gold ring, wool sweater). Some are used in special contexts (brazen, wooden).

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