I. ˈbər, +V ˈbər.; ˈbə̄, +V ˈbər. also ˈbə̄r noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English burre; akin to Old Swedish borre bur, Old English byrst bristle — more at bristle
1. usually bur
a. : any rough or prickly envelope of a fruit whether a pericarp, a persistent calyx, or an involucre: as
(1) : the husk of a chestnut
(2) : the hull of a mature cotton boll
(3) : the cone of a hop plant at the time of flowering
b. : any weed that bears burs
c. : plant debris in raw wool
2.
a. : something that resembles a bur (as in sticking or clinging)
a burr in the throat
b. : hanger-on
hand off thou cat, thou burr — Shakespeare
3.
[Middle English burwhe circle, perhaps alteration of burgh borough — more at borough ]
a. obsolete : a broad iron ring on a tilting lance fixed just below the grip to prevent slipping of the hand
b. : a small washer put on the end of a rivet before swaging it down
c. : a disk or cylinder of metal punched from a sheet
d. : nut 3
4. : the external part of the ear ; especially : the irregular inner part of the pinna of the ear (as of a dog)
5. : the circular boss at the base of an antler or horn
6.
a. : any rounded knot or excrescence on a tree : burl
b. : lumber or veneer cut from such a burr
7. : a thin ridge or area of roughness produced in cutting or shaping metal (as in drilling, turning, or blanking): as
a. : the fin left on a casting at the mold junctions ; also : a thin protrusion of excess metal on a newly cast slug or piece of type
b. : edges of metal raised above the face of an engraved plate by the graving tool
8.
a. : a trilled uvular r as used by some speakers of English especially in northern England and in Scotland
b. : a tongue-point trill that is the usual Scottish r
c. : a pronunciation regarded as odd and uncouth
9.
a. usually bur : a small rotary cutting tool often with fluted edges arranged spirally that is used on a powered apparatus (as a dental drill)
b. : a small circular saw
c. or burr chisel : a chisel with three cutting edges that is used to clear the burrs from machine-cut corners
d. : a wheel with projections for forming loops between needles in a circular knitting machine
10. : a rough humming sound : whir , birr
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1. : to speak with a burr
2. : to make a whirring sound
transitive verb
1. : to pronounce with a burr
burred his r's
2.
a. : to form into a projecting edge
b. : to remove burrs from (a hole or sharp edge)
III. noun
also bur “
( -s )
Etymology: perhaps from burr (I) ; from its roughness
1. : buhrstone
2. : a knob or boss of siliceous rock in softer formations
3. : whetstone
4. : clinker I 2a, 2b
IV. noun
also bur “
( -s )
Etymology: Hindi baṛ, from Prakrit vaṭa, from Sanskrit vṛta covered, surrounded, from vṛṇoti he covers, surrounds — more at weir
India : banyan 2