D defs.my
Menu ☰
Entry 8 senses Webster, 1913

Bur

/(bûr)/ · IPA /bɝ/
01 n. Any rough or prickly envelope of the seeds of plants, whether a pericarp, a persistent calyx, or an involucre, as of the chestnut and burdo…
  1. 1.
    Any rough or prickly envelope of the seeds of plants, whether a pericarp, a persistent calyx, or an involucre, as of the chestnut and burdock; a seed vessel having hooks or prickles. Also, any weed which bears burs.(Bot.)
    “Amongst rude burs and thistles.” — Milton.
    “Bur and brake and brier.” — Tennyson.
  2. 2.
    The thin ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal. See Burr, n., 2. See: Burr
  3. 3.
    A ring of iron on a lance or spear. See Burr, n., 4. See: Burr
  4. 4.
    The lobe of the ear. See Burr, n., 5. See: Burr
  5. 5.
    The sweetbread.
  6. 6.
    A clinker; a partially vitrified brick.
  7. 7.
    A small circular saw.(Mech.)
  8. 8.
    The round knob of an antler next to a deer's head.(Zool.)
Phrases & compounds
Bur oak — a useful and ornamental species of oak (Quercus macrocarpa) with ovoid acorns inclosed in deep cups imbricated with pointed scales. It grows in the Middle and Western United States, and its wood is tough, close-grained, and durable.
Bur reed — a plant of the genus Sparganium, having long ribbonlike leaves.