Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Bur?

\Bur\, Burr \Burr\, n. [OE. burre burdock; cf. Dan. borre, OSw. borra, burdock, thistle; perh. akin to E. bristle (burr- for burz-), or perh. to F. bourre hair, wool, stuff; also, according to Cotgrave, ``the downe, or hairie coat, wherewith divers herbes, fruits, and flowers, are covered,'' fr. L. burrae trifles, LL. reburrus rough.] 1. (Bot.) 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. Also, any weed which bears burs. Amongst rude burs and thistles. --Milton. Bur and brake and brier. --Tennyson. 2. The thin ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal. See {Burr}, n., 2. 3. A ring of iron on a lance or spear. See {Burr}, n., 4. 4. The lobe of the ear. See {Burr}, n., 5. 5. The sweetbread. 6. A clinker; a partially vitrified brick. 7. (Mech.) (a) A small circular saw. (b) A triangular chisel. (c) A drill with a serrated head larger than the shank; -- used by dentists. 8. [Cf. Gael. borr, borra, a knob, bunch.] (Zo["o]l.) The round knob of an antler next to a deer's head. [Commonly written {burr}.] {Bur oak} (Bot.), 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} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Sparganium}, having long ribbonlike leaves.