n.
Pronunciation: ' b ə r(- ə )l
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English burle, from Anglo-French *bourle tuft of wool, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *burrula, diminutive of Late Latin burra shaggy cloth
Date: 15th century
1 : a knot or lump in thread or cloth
2 a : a hard woody often flattened hemispherical outgrowth on a tree b : veneer made from burls