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bri·er¹ also bri·ar

(brīər)

Any of several prickly plants, such as certain rosebushes or the greenbrier.

[Middle English brer, from Old English brēr.]

brier·y adj.

bri·ar¹ also bri·er

(brīər)

1. A Mediterranean shrub or small tree (Erica arborea) in the heath family, whose woody roots are used to make tobacco pipes. Also called tree heath.

2. A pipe made from the root of this plant or from a similar wood.

[French bruyère, heath, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *brūcāria, from Late Latin brūcus, heather, of Celtic origin; see wer-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

bri·ar²

(brīər)

Variant of brier¹.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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