BURR

bur, burr

(noun) small bit used in dentistry or surgery

burr

(noun) rough projection left on a workpiece after drilling or cutting

burr

(noun) rotary file for smoothing rough edges left on a workpiece

Burr, Aaron Burr

(noun) United States politician who served as vice president under Jefferson; he mortally wounded his political rival Alexander Hamilton in a duel and fled south (1756-1836)

bur, burr

(noun) seed vessel having hooks or prickles

bur, burr

(verb) remove the burrs from

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

burr (plural burrs)

A sharp, pointy object, such as a sliver or splinter.

A bur; a seed pod with sharp features that stick in fur or clothing.

A small piece of material left on an edge after a cutting operation.

A thin flat piece of metal, formed from a sheet by punching; a small washer put on the end of a rivet before it is swaged down.

A broad iron ring on a tilting lance just below the grip, to prevent the hand from slipping.

The ear lobe.

The knot at the bottom of an antler.

Synonyms

• (kind of seed pod): sticker; bur

Etymology 2

Noun

burr (plural burrs)

A rough humming sound.

A uvular "r".

Verb

burr (third-person singular simple present burrs, present participle burring, simple past and past participle burred)

(transitive) To pronounce with a uvular "r".

(intransitive) To make a rough humming sound.

Etymology 3

Noun

burr (plural burrs)

(historic) A metal ring at the top of the hand-rest on a spear.

Etymology 4

Noun

burr (plural burrs)

(British) Alternative spelling of burl

Proper noun

Burr

A surname.

Source: Wiktionary


Bur, Burr, n. Etym: [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.]

1. (Bot.)

Definition: 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. Amongst rude burs and thistles. Milton. Bur and brake and brier. Tennyson.

2. The thin ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal. See Burr, n., 2.

3. A ring of iron on a lance or spear. See Burr, n., 4.

4. The lobe of the ear. See Burr, n., 5.

5. The sweetbread.

6. A clinker; a partially vitrified brick.

7. (Mech.) (a) A small circular saw. (b) A triangular chisel. (c) A drill with a serrated head larger than the shank; -- used by dentists.

8. Etym: [Cf. Gael. borr, borra, a knob, bunch.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: The round knob of an antler next to a deer's head. [Commonly written burr.] Bur oak (Bot.), a useful and ornamental species of oak (Quercus macrocarpa) with ovoid acorns inclosed in deep cups imbricated with pointed scales. It grows in the Middle and Western United States, and its wood is tough, close-grained, and durable.

– Bur reed (Bot.), a plant of the genus Sparganium, having long ribbonlike leaves.

Burr, n. Etym: [See Bur.] (Bot.)

1. A prickly seed vessel. See Bur, 1.

2. The thin edge or ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal, as in turning, engraving, pressing, etc.; also, the rough neck left on a bullet in casting. The graver, in plowing furrows in the surface of the copper, raises corresponding ridges or burrs. Tomlinson.

3. A thin flat piece of metal, formed from a sheet by punching; a small washer put on the end of a rivet before it is swaged down.

4. A broad iron ring on a tilting lance just below the gripe, to prevent the hand from slipping.

5. The lobe or lap of the ear.

6. Etym: [Probably of imitative origin.]

Definition: A guttural pronounciation of the letter r, produced by trilling the extremity of the soft palate against the back part of the tongue; rotacism; -- often called the Newcastle, Northumberland, or Tweedside, burr.

7. The knot at the bottom of an antler. See Bur, n., 8.

Burr, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Burred; p. pr. & vb. n. Burring.]

Definition: To speak with burr; to make a hoarse or guttural murmur. Mrs. Browning.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 April 2024

SUBDUCTION

(noun) a geological process in which one edge of a crustal plate is forced sideways and downward into the mantle below another plate


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