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Burr   /bər/   Listen
noun
Burr, Bur  n.  
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. "Amongst rude burs and thistles." "Bur and brake and brier."
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; especially a small drill bit used by dentists.
8.
(Zool.) 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.


Burr  n.  (Bot.)
1.
A prickly seed vessel. See Bur, 1.
2.
The thin edge or ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal, as in turning, engraving, pressing, etc.; also, the rough neck left on a bullet in casting. "The graver, in plowing furrows in the surface of the copper, raises corresponding ridges or burrs."
3.
A thin flat piece of metal, formed from a sheet by punching; a small washer put on the end of a rivet before it is swaged down.
4.
A broad iron ring on a tilting lance just below the gripe, to prevent the hand from slipping.
5.
The lobe or lap of the ear.
6.
A guttural pronounciation of the letter r, produced by trilling the extremity of the soft palate against the back part of the tongue; rotacism; often called the Newcastle burr, Northumberland burr, or Tweedside burr.
7.
The knot at the bottom of an antler. See Bur, n., 8.


verb
Burr  v. i.  (past & past part. burred; pres. part. burring)  To speak with burr; to make a hoarse or guttural murmur.





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Burr" Quotes from Famous Books



... the same song that I had heard in St. Augustine; only the birds here were in a livelier mood, and sang out instead of sotto voce. The long introductory note sounded sometimes as if it were indrawn, and often, if not always, had a considerable burr in it. Once in a while the strain was caught up at the end and sung over again, after the manner of the field sparrow,—one of that bird's prettiest tricks. At other times the song was delivered with full voice, and then repeated almost under the singer's breath. This was done beautifully in the ...
— A Florida Sketch-Book • Bradford Torrey
... the combination of one or more vibratory clamps Y, the cam, E, the two burrs or cutter wheels, q r, and the slotting burr or cutters, s, provided with mechanism for operating ...
— Scientific American, Vol. 17, No. 26 December 28, 1867 • Various
... the pupils to observe the special structure that facilitates the dispersal of the seed. As an illustration, ask the pupils to find the seeds of the burdock and to describe what the burr is really like. They find that the burr is a little basket filled with seeds. The basket has many little hooks which catch on the hair of animals and, since these hooks turn inwards, they serve to hold the basket in such a position that all ...
— Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Nature Study • Ontario Ministry of Education
... There was a burr of the instrument and then silence. Sir Timothy carefully replaced the receiver, paused on his way out of the room to smell a great bowl of lavender, and ...
— The Evil Shepherd • E. Phillips Oppenheim
... T. B. Smith; "he has the burr of a man who has been brought up in Somerset. He is obviously one who has had very little education. My impression of him does not coincide ...
— The Secret House • Edgar Wallace


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