bur
UK /bɜː/ · US /bɝ/ noun, proper noun
Forms burs burr
- noun A rough, prickly husk around the seeds or fruit of some plants.
- noun Any of several plants having such husks.
- noun A rotary cutting implement having a selection of variously shaped heads.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English burre, of unknown origin but probably from North Germanic (Scandinavian) source or from Old English byrst (“bristle”). See also burr. Compare English bristle, Danish burre (“bur, burdock”), Norwegian borre, Swedish borre, and Old Norse burst (“bristle”).
* Borrowed from French Bur, probably a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name.
* Borrowed from Alemannic German Bur (“peasant, farmer”) and Low German Bur (“peasant, farmer”).
* Borrowed from Slovak Búr, a surname of unexplained origin.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Any rough or prickly envelope of the seeds of plants, whether a pericarp, a persistent calyx, or an involucre, as of the chestnut and burdock. Also, any weed which bears burs.
- noun The thin ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal. See Burr, n., 2.
Etymology [OE. burre burdock; cf. Dan. borre, OSw. borra, burdock, thistle; perh. akin to E. bristle (burr- for burz-), or perh. to F. bourre hair, wool, stuff; also, according to Cotgrave, "the downe, or hairie coat, wherewith divers herbes, fruits, and flowers, are covered," fr. L. burrae trifles, LL. reburrus rough.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bur”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details