Editing Birch (section)

===Etymology===
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2021}}
The common name ''birch'' comes from [[Old English]] ''birce'', ''bierce'', from [[Proto-Germanic]] *''berk-jōn'' (cf. [[German language|German]] ''Birke'', [[West Frisian language|West Frisian]] ''bjirk''), an adjectival formation from *''berkōn'' (cf. [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ''berk'', [[Low German]] ''Bark'', [[Danish language|Danish]] ''birk'', [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] ''bjørk''), itself from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] root *''bʰerHǵ-'' ~ ''bʰrHǵ''-, which also gave [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]] ''béržas'', [[Latvian language|Latvian]] ''Bērzs'', [[Russian language|Russian]] ''берёза (berëza)'', [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] береза (''beréza)'', [[Albanian language|Albanian]] ''bredh'' 'fir', [[Ossetic language|Ossetian]] ''bærz(æ)'', [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] ''bhurja'', [[Polish language|Polish]] ''brzoza'', [[Latin language|Latin]] ''fraxinus'' 'ash (tree)'. This root is presumably derived from *''bʰreh₁ǵ-'' 'to shine, whiten', in reference to the birch's white bark. The [[Proto-Germanic]] [[rune]] ''[[berkanan]]'' is named after the birch.

The generic name ''Betula'' is from [[Latin]], which is a [[diminutive]] borrowed from [[Gaulish language|Gaulish]] ''betua'' (cf. [[Old Irish]] ''bethe'', [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''bedw'').