poach

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpoʊtʃ/
• Rhymes: -əʊtʃ

Etymology 1

This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

Verb

poach (third-person singular simple present poaches, present participle poaching, simple past and past participle poached)

1. (transitive) to cook something in simmering water
2. (derived from this) as in "cattle coming to drink had punched and poached the river bank into a mess of mud."

Translations

cook in simmering water

Esperanto: poĉi (eo) Finnish: hauduttaa (fi) German: pochieren (de)

Portuguese: escalfar (pt) Serbo-Croatian: poširanje (sh) Spanish: escalfar (es)

Etymology 2

From Middle French pocher (“poke”), from Old French pochier (“poke out”)

Verb

poach (third-person singular simple present poaches, present participle poaching, simple past and past participle poached)

1. (transitive, intransitive) to take game or fish illegally while trespassing on someone's property
2. (transitive, intransitive) to take anything illegally or unfairly
3. (transitive, intransitive) to cause an employee or customer to switch from a competing company to your own company

Derived terms

• poachable
• unpoached

Translations

to take game or fish illegally

Chinese: Mandarin: 偷獵 (zh), 偷猎 (zh) (tōuliè) Esperanto: ŝtelĉasi (eo) Finnish: salametsästää (fi), metsästää salaa, kalastaa salaa French: braconner (fr) German: wildern (de)

Japanese: 密猟する (ja) (みつりょうする, mitsuryō-suru) (game), 密漁する (ja) (みつりょうする, mitsuryō-suru) (fish) Russian: заниматься браконьерством (zanimát'sja brakon'jérstvom) Scottish Gaelic: poidsig (gd) Swedish: tjuvjaga (sv)

to take illegally or unfairly

Finnish: kaapata (fi)

Japanese: 横取りする (yokodori-suru)

to cause an employee or customer to switch

Finnish: kaapata (fi) German: abwerben (de) Italian: assumere (it)

Russian: переманивать (ru) (peremánivat') impf., переманить (ru) (peremanít') pf.

Anagrams

• copha, phoca