verb
- past tense of birch; to beat or flog with a birch rod as punishment
Usage: archaic; historical
Examples
- In Victorian schools, misbehaving students were sometimes birched.
- The headmaster birched the boy for his repeated infractions.
- Historical records show that sailors were birched for serious offenses.
- The practice of having children birched was eventually abolished.
- He was birched as punishment for stealing from the market.
- The old disciplinary code stated that thieves would be birched publicly.