Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Bur"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

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.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

bur
n 1: seed vessel having hooks or prickles [syn: {burr}]
2: small bit used in dentistry or surgery [syn: {burr}]
v : remove the burrs from [syn: {burr}]


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