: any of a genus (Larix) of northern hemisphere trees of the pine family with short fascicled deciduous leaves
also : the wood of a larch

Illustration of larch

Illustration of larch

Examples of larch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In a windy week, a lot of larch in the valley were losing their thorns. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2023 Additionally, there was evidence of larch resin, based on the presence of the medicinal ingredient larixol in the embalming jar. Popular Science, 31 Aug. 2023 One not-yet-golden western larch curves by a white pine, a white pine curves by a western hemlock, no one here is heroic. ​​ada Limón, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2023 At 6:56 and 29 seconds, the captain could see the end, as larch trees on the ridges of Mount Osutaka came into focus. Andrew Zaleski, Popular Mechanics, 22 June 2023 Fingers of logging road extend up the Rockies and Selkirks to wilderness, cathedrals of birch, hemlock, cedar, larch. Hazlitt, 15 Sep. 2022 Snetsinger will monitor the larch’s progress over the coming decades. Brendan Borrell, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2011 Even the larch wood planks of their coffins must have been imported to the treeless desert region from hundreds of kilometers away. Byandrew Curry, science.org, 14 Apr. 2023 It's constructed with sustainable Siberian larch wood. goodhousekeeping.com, 11 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'larch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably from German Lärche, from Middle High German lerche, from Latin laric-, larix

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of larch was in 1548

Dictionary Entries Near larch

Cite this Entry

“Larch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/larch. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

larch

noun
: any of a genus of trees related to the pines that shed their short needles each fall

Geographical Definition

Larch

geographical name

river 270 miles (434 kilometers) long in western Quebec, Canada, flowing northeast to unite with the Caniapiskau River forming the Koksoak River

More from Merriam-Webster on larch

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