- Bur oak
- Bur Bur, Burr Burr (b[^u]r), 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; a seed vessel
having hooks or prickles. Also, any weed which bears burs.
[1913 Webster]
Amongst rude burs and thistles. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
Bur and brake and brier. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]
2. The thin ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal. See {Burr}, n., 2. [1913 Webster]
3. A ring of iron on a lance or spear. See {Burr}, n., 4. [1913 Webster]
4. The lobe of the ear. See {Burr}, n., 5. [1913 Webster]
5. The sweetbread. [1913 Webster]
6. A clinker; a partially vitrified brick. [1913 Webster]
7. (Mech.) (a) A small circular saw. (b) A triangular chisel. (c) A drill with a serrated head larger than the shank; -- especially a small drill bit used by dentists. [1913 Webster]
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}.] [1913 Webster]
{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. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
