/ mʌltʃ; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
[ C , U ] material, for example, decaying leaves, that you put around a plant to protect its base and its roots, to improve the quality of the soil or to stop weeds growing
■ verb
[ vn ] to cover the soil or the roots of a plant with a mulch
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: probably from dialect mulch soft used as a noun, from Old English melsc , mylsc .