[bri.er] n [ME brere, fr. OE brer] (bef. 12c): a plant (as of the genera Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax) with a woody and thorny or prickly stem; also: a mass or twig of these -- bri.ery adj
[2]brier n [F bruyere heath, fr. MF bruiere, fr. (assumed) VL brucaria, fr. LL brucus heather, of Celt origin; akin to OIr froech heather; akin to Gk ereike heather] (1868): a heath (Erica arborea) of southern Europe whose roots and knotted stems are used for making briar tobacco pipes