(also brier ) / ˈbraɪə(r); NAmE / noun
1.
a wild bush with thorns , especially a wild rose bush
2.
a bush with a hard root that is used for making tobacco pipes; a tobacco pipe made from this root
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WORD ORIGIN
sense 1 Old English brǣr , brēr , of unknown origin.
sense 2 mid 19th cent.: from French bruyère heath, heather, from medieval Latin brucus .