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bur¹ also burr

(bûr)

a. A rough prickly husk or covering surrounding the seeds or fruits of plants such as the chestnut or the burdock.

b. A plant producing such husks or coverings.

2. A persistently clinging or nettlesome person or thing.

3. A rough protuberance, especially a burl on a tree.

4. Any of various rotary cutting tools designed to be attached to a drill.

[Middle English burre, of Scandinavian origin.]

burr² also bur

(bûr)

1. A trilling of the letter r, usually made with the tip of the tongue and characteristic of Scottish speech.

2. A buzzing or whirring sound.

v. burred, burr·ing, burrs also burs

v.tr.

To pronounce with a burr.

v.intr.

1. To speak with a burr.

2. To make a buzzing or whirring sound.

[Imitative.]

bur²

(bûr)

n. & v.

Variant of burr².

burr³ also bur

(bûr)

A washer that fits around the smaller end of a rivet.

[Middle English burre, ring, disk, alteration of burwhe, circle, disk.]

bur³

(bûr)

Variant of burr³.

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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