brier 1
— briery , adj.
/bruy"euhr/ , n.
1. a prickly plant or shrub, esp. the sweetbrier or a greenbrier.
2. a tangled mass of prickly plants.
3. a thorny stem or twig.
Also, briar .
[ bef. 1000; ME brer, OE braer, brer; akin to BRAMBLE ]
brier 2
/bruy"euhr/ , n.
1. the white heath, Erica arborea, of France and Corsica, the woody root of which is used for making tobacco pipes.
2. a pipe made of brierroot.
Also, briar .
[ 1865-70; earlier bruyer bruyère, OF brucaria field of heather, equiv to * bruc- heather ( broiko- (with early L change of oi > u ) wroiko- > OIr froech, Welsh grug ) + L -aria -ARY; cf. early ML brucus, brugaria; see -ER 2 , -AR 2 ]
brier 3
/bruy"euhr/ , n. Usually Disparaging.
(chiefly in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee) a rustic or hillbilly, esp. one from Appalachia.
[ shortening of brier hopper ]