From PIE *bherHǵ- (to gleam white), naming the tree for its brilliant white bark.
A slender, fast-growing deciduous tree of the genus Betula, with thin peeling bark, typically white or silver.
From Old English 'birce,' from Proto-Germanic *berkō, from PIE *bherHǵ- meaning 'to gleam, bright, white.' The tree was named for the striking whiteness of its bark. Key roots: *bherHǵ- (Proto-Indo-European: "to gleam, to shine white").