burr
Noun · VerbOpen English WordNet
Noun (5)
- seed vessel having hooks or pricklesSynonyms: burType of pericarp, seed vesselKinds Spanish needles, beggar-ticks
- rough projection left on a workpiece after drilling or cuttingType of projection
- 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)Synonyms: Aaron BurrInstance of politician, politico
- rotary file for smoothing rough edges left on a workpieceType of power tool
- small bit used in dentistry or surgerySynonyms: burType of bitPart of dentist's drill, burr drill
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: 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. Botany 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; a seed vessel having hooks or prickles. Also, any weed which bears burs.
Amongst rude burs and thistles.— John Milton
Bur and brake and brier.— Alfred Tennyson
2. The thin ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal. See Burr, noun, 2.
3. A ring of iron on a lance or spear. See Burr, noun, 4.
4. The lobe of the ear. See Burr, noun, 5.
5. The sweetbread.
6. A clinker; a partially vitrified brick.
7. Mechanics (a) A small circular saw. (b) A triangular chisel. (c) A drill with a serrated head larger than the shank; — especially a small drill bit used by dentists.
8. Zoology The round knob of an antler next to a deer's head. [Commonly written burr.]
Bur oak Botany, 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 Botany, a plant of the genus Sparganium, having long ribbonlike leaves.
Origin: See Bur.
Botany 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.— Charles 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. 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 burr, Northumberland burr, or Tweedside burr.
7. The knot at the bottom of an antler. See Bur, noun, 8.
To speak with burr; to make a hoarse or guttural murmur. Eliz. Barrett Browning
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54