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poach

1
[ pohch ]
/ poʊtʃ /
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See synonyms for: poach / poaching on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
to cook (eggs, fish, fruits, etc.) in a hot liquid that is kept just below the boiling point.
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Origin of poach

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun poche “poached eggs (in sauce),” from Old French pochié, past participle of pochier “to bag (the yolk inside the white),” derivative of poche “bag, pocket,” from Middle Dutch poke poke2

OTHER WORDS FROM poach

poach·a·ble, adjective

Other definitions for poach (2 of 2)

poach2
[ pohch ]
/ poʊtʃ /

verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)

Origin of poach

2
First recorded in 1520–30; of uncertain origin; perhaps from earlier meaning “to shove, thrust,” from Middle French pocher “to gouge,” from Germanic; akin to poke1

OTHER WORDS FROM poach

poach·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use poach in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for poach (1 of 2)

poach1
/ (pəʊtʃ) /

verb
to catch (game, fish, etc) illegally by trespassing on private property
to encroach on or usurp (another person's rights, duties, etc) or steal (an idea, employee, etc)
tennis badminton to take or play (shots that should belong to one's partner)
to break up (land) into wet muddy patches, as by riding over it, or (of land) to become broken up in this way
(intr) (of the feet, shoes, etc) to sink into heavy wet ground

Word Origin for poach

C17: from Old French pocher, of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch poken to prod; see poke 1

British Dictionary definitions for poach (2 of 2)

poach2
/ (pəʊtʃ) /

verb
to simmer (eggs, fish, etc) very gently in water, milk, stock, etc

Word Origin for poach

C15: from Old French pochier to enclose in a bag (as the yolks are enclosed by the whites); compare poke ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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