burr

C2 Topic:Plants & Agriculture

Also spelled bur

US /bɝ/ UK /bɜː/ See IPA manual

Freq #15830

Meanings

1

noun
a rough or prickly seed case, husk, or flower head that clings to fur or clothing

A chestnut burr split open to reveal three glossy nuts.
2

noun
a rough edge or ridge left on metal, wood, or another material after cutting or drilling

The machinist filed the sharp burr from the drilled hole.
3

noun
a small rotary cutting tool used in machining, dentistry, or surgery

The dentist selected a fine burr to shape the filling.
4

verb
to form a rough edge or to remove material with a burr

Careless drilling can burr the edge of the thin sheet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a rough or prickly seed... burburr seed

2 noun · a rough edge or ridge left... rough edgebarb

3 noun · a small rotary cutting tool... rotary filebur

4 verb · to form a rough edge or to... roughen ream

Opposites

smooth edge

Word family

Forms burrsburs

Derived forms burrydeburr

Related forms burdockchestnutreamer

Etymology

From Middle English burre, 'a prickly seed head or rough projection,' probably related to Germanic words for a bristle. The spelling bur remains an accepted variant, especially for the botanical and tool senses. The shared idea is a small rough, projecting, or cutting part.

Topics

Plants & Agriculture

External links

# burr

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /bɝ/
**IPA (UK):** /bɜː/
**Frequency rank:** 15830

## Meanings
1. a rough or prickly seed case, husk, or flower head that clings to fur or clothing
2. a rough edge or ridge left on metal, wood, or another material after cutting or drilling
3. a small rotary cutting tool used in machining, dentistry, or surgery
4. to form a rough edge or to remove material with a burr

## Examples
- A chestnut burr split open to reveal three glossy nuts.
- The machinist filed the sharp burr from the drilled hole.
- The dentist selected a fine burr to shape the filling.
- Careless drilling can burr the edge of the thin sheet.

## Synonyms
- bur
- rough edge
- barb
- rotary file

## Antonyms
- smooth edge

## Derived Forms
- burry
- deburr

## Related Forms
- burdock
- chestnut
- reamer

## Etymology
From Middle English burre, 'a prickly seed head or rough projection,' probably related to Germanic words for a bristle. The spelling bur remains an accepted variant, especially for the botanical and tool senses. The shared idea is a small rough, projecting, or cutting part.

## Topics
- Plants & Agriculture

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