culch

American  

[kuhlch] / kʌltʃ /

Or cultch

noun

1. the stones, old shells, etc., forming an oyster bed and furnishing points of attachment for the spawn of oysters.

2. the spawn of oysters.

3. Eastern New England. Also sculch, scultch rubbish; refuse.

   The attic has been a convenient depository for more than 80 years of culch.

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verb (used with object)

1. to prepare (an oyster bed) with culch.

culch British  

/ kʌltʃ /

noun

1. a mass of broken stones, shells, and gravel that forms the basis of an oyster bed

2. the oyster spawn attached to such a structure

3. dialect refuse; rubbish

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Etymology

Origin of culch

First recorded in 1660–70; perhaps metathetic variant of clutch ²; but note Old French culche couch

Example Sentences

A sort of pavement of culch, on the mud of estuaries, for forming a bed for oysters.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir

A "laying" of culch, that is, stones, old shells, or other hard substances, so as to form a bed for oysters, which would be choked in soft mud.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir

The young probably find a natural "culch" in the many shells, cockle and others, that strew the rock, sand, and clay.

From The Land of Midian — Volume 1 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir